Gynocracy
by CF Vici
Summary: Lucas is abducted into a female-dominated colony where the UEO has no jurisdiction and males have no rights. Rated M for adult situations and language. No explicit sex. *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 40  Where Am I?

_**Author's Note: This is part of my continuing AU, taken from the middle of Not on My Watch. I will keep the chapters numbered as if you were reading from there, but I am starting this separate thread in order to rate this section M. This is for language as well as adult situations, but NOT for sex.**_

_**I realize this makes me look pretty obsessed with the whips and chains. Yikes. Maybe I am. I should also mention I'm feeling pretty insecure about this tangent. If you are brave enough to keep reading my foray into the bizarre, please, please, be generous with letting me know. You don't have to admit it publicly. PMs are fine. Just reassure me that you're there.**_

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**Chapter 40**

Lucas groaned as he opened his eyes. His head was pounding and his vision was blurry. His whole body felt like lead. He pulled his hand up to rub his eyes and was startled to hear metal rattling. The sound was immediately followed by the sensation of a restraint around his wrist and panic grabbed him full force. "No! Not again!" he gasped.

But the fact he had movement and the ability to speak meant this wasn't like Beauregard's prison. He used the other hand to explore the rattling wrist and discovered he was wearing a shackle attached to a chain that was in turn bolted to the wall. He rubbed his eyes, but his vision didn't clear. The room was dimly lit from above, like with a bulb the size of a Christmas tree light. He could barely see anything. The room seemed very small though. Smaller even than that cell on If Island.

It hurt to move, but he somehow managed to sit up. He reached out and touched the walls. The chain was only two feet long, but the room was only slightly larger than the lumpy mattress he woke up on, so he could reach it with the other arm. He estimated no more than 6x4 feet for the whole room. The walls and the floor were cold metal. There was a window in the door, but it was dark on the other side, not that it would have done him much good while his eyes weren't focused anyway. He tried the doorknob with his free hand, but it didn't budge. It was very similar to the hatch doors on _seaQuest_, except it had a regular knob instead of a wheel. His first thought was he was in an older undersea habitat. Of course, this dinky room was more like a storage closet and therefore hadn't been built to seal off and keep water out. But now he was standing on the floor, Lucas could feel vibrations, which meant he was on a boat or submarine of some kind.

"Hey! Get me out of here!" he yelled while pounding on the metal door with his free hand. He pounded for a good half-minute, but when nobody came, he slumped down on the mattress again. Someone had purposely chained him to the wall and locked the door and they weren't going to let him out just because he made some noise. His head hurt too much to continue anyway. Besides, some part of him couldn't forget what happened the last time he made noise to try to annoy a captor. He shuddered from head to toe just thinking about it. No, this time he was going to try to be more compliant and hopefully avoid unpleasant consequences.

_How did I get here anyway? _He struggled to remember what happened. He'd been in Honolulu, not on _seaQuest_. Ben and Katie were busy working at the shipyard. He remembered feeling empty and somewhat lost after Katie took over Jarvis. The memory was emotionally painful, like he'd lost an appendage or something. But that hadn't landed him here. He'd had a little chat with Ben and felt a bit better. Ben wasn't the same guy he'd known, but then again, neither was Lucas. While Lucas missed the happy-go-lucky guy who took him along on scheming adventures, he realized it was no more fair to miss what Ben used to be than it would be for Ben to be angry at him for wearing the science department uniform and getting a haircut.

Lucas shook his head gently, trying to clear the cobwebs of confusion. He needed to remember what happened. He and Ben had chatted about Katie and Juliana. That part of the new Ben he really appreciated. Before, Ben had been so superficial when he talked about women. Beach Babes of Barcelona hidden in his boots and all that. But Lucas got enough of that shallow tripe with Tony. Now, although he still appreciated pretty, Ben had somehow figured out that Katie didn't appreciate him talking about women like they were _objets d'art_. More surprising, Ben apparently found other qualities in Katie he could admire, like her astounding engineering skills and her sharp mind.

This new Ben was the kind of confidant Lucas needed to talk to about girls, someone who would 'get' why he wanted more than a pretty face, someone who wasn't going to push him to 'be stupid' as they'd once put it. Ben had sensed he wanted to talk about it; he'd hinted around about Juliana enough. Lucas felt badly he hadn't taken advantage of the moment. He should have told Ben what happened with Sandra and why he'd felt completely gun-shy about girls ever since. Ben probably would have understood and said something cheesy but profound that would have made him laugh and still feel hopeful all at the same time.

But Lucas had pushed for a beach trip instead. Ben was too busy, so Lucas had decided to go by himself to 'punish' him for it. There were at least fifty other things Lucas could have done to help Bridger Hitchcock SeaDesigns. He could have taken the high road, made himself useful, and gone to the beach the next day when Ben was available, but instead, he'd fallen back on old habits to try to make Ben feel guilty. Lucas mentally kicked himself. That stupid tactic had never worked with his father or mother. What had possessed him to think it would work on Ben?

Worse, why did he even think Ben deserved it? Ben and Katie didn't owe him anything. They could have paid the CAD's programmer to come help them learn to use it. Computer software that sophisticated probably had in-person tutorials as part of the purchase price, but even if it didn't, it couldn't have cost much more than fuel to go all the way out to the South Atlantic to pick him up and take him back, not to mention how much of Katie's time got wasted doing the flying. He'd been darned lucky they'd let him be involved at all. Far from ignoring him, they'd been concerned about his eating and going out alone (and in retrospect, with good reason) and they hadn't been offended when _he _had all but ignored _them _for four solid days, or was it five?

Running off like a spoiled kid still didn't explain how he ended up here. He was pretty sure he didn't stay out after dark. He'd promised both Ben and Katie he wouldn't do that and he couldn't fathom setting out to defy them. A mild little guilt trip was one thing, but he'd been trying too hard to act responsible and keep his word to pull something _that _childish. Yet, his memory was fuzzy about what happened after he went back to the condo, changed clothes, and then walked to the beach. Why couldn't he remember?

He stopped trying to remember the beach itself in an attempt to focus on why his memory was failing him and why his vision was blurred. He explored his skin to see if he'd been drugged. His inner elbows and the backs of his hands were clean. Okay, so no professional had started an IV drip. That wasn't comforting, but it made sense. If he'd been hit by a car and then attended by medical professionals, he should have ended up in a bright, cheery hospital with Ben and Katie's worried faces staring over him. Hospitals didn't tend to use locked closets or chain patients to the wall.

His headache didn't seem to be localized, which probably ruled out any kind of head trauma as the initiating force. _So much for getting hit by a car_. He found a painful spot on the back of his neck and touching it gave him a short burst of memory. He had felt a sharp sting and every muscle tensed up. He'd wanted to lash out with a roundhouse kick, just like Will had taught him, but he couldn't make his legs obey, couldn't turn his head to see who had thrust the sharp needle into his neck. Then everything went black.

He was making progress. He remembered the split-second before he lost consciousness, but where had he been? Surely if someone had stuck a needle in his neck on a public beach, there would have been dozens of witnesses. Someone should have seen him slump into a heap and collapse. He'd like to think lifeguards would come up and question anyone with an unconscious body. "Hey, what are you doing? Do you need help? Can we call an ambulance?" You'd think.

Had he been snorkeling, maybe? Maybe he'd been in a secluded cove or something. It didn't sound all that appealing to him right now. How could he have mustered up any excitement to go snorkeling when he could swim with Darwin any time he wanted to and he'd just taken a SCUBA dive off the Great Barrier Reef within the last month, and Bridger's Island the month before that? Why could he remember what he'd done two months ago and two days ago, but not what he'd been doing just before he passed out?

If he _had _been snorkeling or even just swimming, he _could _have been stung by a stingray or a jellyfish in the back of the neck, but it didn't seem too likely. He knew what jellyfish stings felt like and it wasn't a single sharp jab, nor would he have had to touch the spot for the pain to come back. That intense itchy burn could wake the dead. He'd never been stung by a stingray, but the logistics of how the back of his neck could ever have presented itself to a bottom-dwelling and fairly shy creature just defied all logic. Besides, although the flashback didn't tell him much, he felt pretty certain he wouldn't have had the self-defense kick impulse if he'd been in the water. He'd been standing and he'd been dry.

No, his gut told him this had _not _been any accident. Someone had used a dart or a hypodermic needle to shoot him full of something pretty strong, something that took effect immediately. He was actually relieved it hadn't been a hypospray. Beauregard had used the hypospray to the neck so much that he didn't even want Dr. Westphalen to use it on him again. He would leave Medbay when she gave other people their vaccines with that hissing monster. If he got out of this new predicament, he'd bring up his hypospray phobia with Wendy. Yeah, that ought to provide her some psychiatric fun. Loony Lucas and his hissing hysteria.

He jerked his chained wrist, twisting his hand as he tried to pull it through the far-too-narrow circumference. The chain links were quite solid and that shackle wasn't going to slip over his hand. He explored it with his fingers to get details his unfocused eyes weren't giving him. The keyhole wasn't old-fashioned, like the kind he could have picked with a hairpin (not that he had one anyway) but it wasn't digital combination either. No systematic number sequences he could busy himself trying. The triangular keyhole meant that it was the high security type of lock containing spring-loaded pins that met with little spherical dips drilled into a prismatic shaft. Duplicates would not be made by the kind of key cutters you found on every street corner. This lock would not open without the key it had been designed to accept. Period.

So who in the world was making shackles for human wrists with such sophisticated security? Lucas didn't think he wanted to know. In fact, he didn't like where this line of reasoning was leading at all. There were far too many unregistered mining colonies that wouldn't hesitate to employ unscrupulous labor practices including what amounted to modern-day slavery. The UEO had shut down four of those operations last year, but the report Lucas saw said for every one they shut down, there were probably another ten undetected, or worse, known, but outside of UEO jurisdiction. Sovereign colonies could do whatever they wanted and not even the UEO could force them to abide by basic human rights. The UEO had to have major economic clout to even get its toe in the door to look around.

Did he leave any clues behind Ben and Katie could follow? There was no toilet in this dark closet, which meant someone was probably going to unlock him so he could use a restroom. Assuming he was on a submarine or a surface vessel, there would be a radio he could use to get _seaQuest'_s attention.

If Ben and Katie hadn't yet done it, eventually they'd be calling Captain Bridger. They probably would search on land first, but he knew his friends. Tim and Miguel would be looking for any clue he might send, even if they were in the wrong ocean and presumably way out of range. He could capture their attention through satellite bouncing or sonar relays easily enough, but both those methods were nearly impossible to backtrack. There would be no point to screaming for help if he couldn't tell them where to find him. And right now, he had no idea where he was or who had kidnapped him.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there, thinking and worrying, but at some point, he realized his eyes could focus again. It was still rather dim in the room, but now he saw a security camera near the ceiling, pointed down at him. He waved as if to tell his captor he was onto him. "Hey! I need to go to the bathroom!" he called while staring straight into the lens. Nothing happened. "Come on! I know you're watching me. You can't expect me to hold it forever. I gotta _go_!"

Then he heard movement from far off—a door opening and then footsteps in a long corridor outside the closet. The doorknob turned and he stood, backing himself against the wall. The door opened slowly and Lucas held his breath. He prepared himself for the worst: another Hans or Frans. But the first thing he saw were bony fingers curled around the door, grabbing it shakily before it swung slightly inward. A meek male voice came from behind the moving door. "I'm just the messenger, 'kay dude? I'm not gonna hurt you." He peeked out from behind the door: a skinny guy who couldn't have been much older than Lucas, maybe 20 or 21.

Lucas sighed with relief and Skinny Guy sighed with him. He stepped out from behind the door. Two things struck Lucas immediately: he wasn't just thin, he was gaunt, like seriously malnourished, and he wasn't wearing much, just a tattered, threadbare pair of shorts. And he reeked… badly. Lucas knew what it smelled like when someone hadn't bathed in weeks and this was more than that; this guy must have been working on the sewage system or something. But shocked though he was at Skinny Guy, he had problems of his own right now.

"Where am I? Who put me here?" Lucas demanded, yanking his shackled arm for emphasis.

Skinny Guy cringed. No, strike that. He _cowered_. Like Lucas's words had physically hurt him. He hung his head when he spoke. "Sorry, dude. If I tell you, Mistress'll punish me. I just brought papers for you to sign." He crouched at the foot of the mattress and set down a stack of paper and a pen. "Listen, you gotta sign these. If you don't, they'll leave you in here with no toilet and no water or food. In about five days, you'll die of thirst and they'll throw your carcass out the hatch to feed the sharks and then I gotta clean up all the mess you leave. You're good-looking, dude." He winced and then hurriedly added, "I mean, you got what the women like. You got a lot better chance on the Colony than here, man. But you gotta sign to go to the Colony."

"What colony?" Lucas said in a whisper.

Skinny Guy flinched. "You heard that, right? He asked. I didn't bring it up." He looked up at the camera as if it would answer him, but no sound came.

"Never mind. Don't say anything that'll get you in trouble. Are you allowed to tell me your name?"

The guy looked him in the eye for the first time and Lucas could have sworn he was going to cry. His eyes were so haunted and hungry. He shook his head slowly, then muttered, "My name's Shit Boy."

Lucas pretended he didn't think it was so bad. "I'm Lucas. Lucas Wolenczak. We're gonna get out of here. Trust me."

Skinny Guy shrugged like he'd heard that line hundreds of times. "Just sign the papers, Lucas. And forget you ever met me."


	2. Chapter 41 Difficult Decision

**Chapter 41**

Lucas looked over the papers after Skinny Guy left. Juno Colony, deep in the Indian Ocean—a sovereign settlement with no sympathies at all toward the UEO—that's what this was all about. Some people thought it was a myth or a joke. Political cartoons depicted busty dominatrices in leather corsets and thigh-high stiletto boots running the government, wielding riding crops over cowering males in loincloths. Before Skinny Guy, Lucas had always laughed at the whole notion, but now the joke didn't seem so funny. Rumor had it males didn't have any rights _at all _on Juno. They were slaves and chattel. They had even less protections than were afforded animals in most parts of the Western world. Signing the papers would make him the _property_of some woman named Mistress Gianna.

Well, Mistress Gianna could forget it. "Go to hell!" he screamed to the closed circuit camera as he ripped up the documents. The malodorous messenger had said he couldn't go to Juno until he signed. _Good_. He'd take his chances _seaQuest _could find him and rescue him. They could do that much more easily in open water. Juno Colony would never let _seaQuest _come near them, any more than the Amazonians would let a UEO plane fly over their airspace. He assumed he was in international waters in the meantime and started quoting Geneva Convention statutes and UEO resolutions to the camera, but it never answered back and Skinny Guy never returned to tell him to shut up or anything.

He had to pay a price for his defiance and it sickened him to live in that cramped space with the rank consequences, but some things were worth a price. He knew he was in trouble when he started to think how much more civilized Beauregard had been. His cell on If Island had been clean and warm, with a working toilet. He'd always had food and water, and he was never left in restraints for more than a couple of hours at a time. _But he whipped your skin clean off your back, _Lucas reminded himself. _Then he sent Lonnie in with antiseptic to clean you up and comfort you_, some other part of his mind argued back. Back and forth, his thirst-crazed mind would debate, both sides sounding equally virtuous.

He never left the dark closet with the dim light bulb. That meant he couldn't tell night from day, which would be expected if he was in a submarine. He liked to think he lasted three days before his thirst became overwhelming, but he didn't know for sure. Apparently, he hadn't left any kind of evidence for Ben and Katie to follow and he hadn't been let out of this stinking cage so he could try to send any kind of distress signal for _seaQuest _to find. He had tried so hard to get his hand through the shackle that he'd scraped it bloody, but he wasn't even close to getting free. _Hopeless_, that's what it was. So now it was down to whether he should sign away all his rights and become someone's property, or die of thirst in this wretched hellhole and become shark fodder.

Much as he hated the idea, it seemed the only logical course was to sign his rights away. Being someone's property was disgusting and shameful and against everything he believed in, but at least it kept him alive. Alive, he stood a chance at escaping someday. He probably wouldn't get help from _seaQuest_. Captain Bridger would absolutely _hate_it, but even if he found him, he couldn't very well torpedo the colony dome. He would _demand _they let him go, but his demands would fall on deaf ears. Dictators and unjust regimes had ignored human rights agencies and Western outcry for centuries. People died for their ideology, the color of their skin, or their gender all the time. How many boys were not lucky enough to be on the rickety old sub Cynthia Westphalen managed to get out of the Amazonian Confederation? How many died every day despite adamant demands they not be murdered just for being born male and poor?

Lucas wasn't ready to die of thirst, alone, in a fetid little closet, when he had another choice, however bleak. He looked up at the camera, scowling. "I'll sign your damned papers," he grunted.

In minutes, the door opened again and Skinny Guy appeared with a fresh copy of the document. "You still got the pen?"

Lucas sighed. "Yeah, but I bent it trying to leverage the shackle off."

"Everyone does. I'll get the mess outta here as soon as you sign." he said, nodding at the corner.

"If they'd unlock me, I'd do that. You shouldn't have to clean up after me."

"It's okay. That's my job. At least I don't have to haul your dead carcass to the airlock. I know you feel like my name, but you'll be okay. You'll probably get to be someone's rickshaw carrier or a valet or something real easy, if you're not too stubborn."

Lucas cringed. "What if I _am _stubborn?"

Skinny Guy shuddered and shook his head. "Dude, not a good idea. You can't win."

"Yeah, I kinda gathered that." Lucas drew a deep breath, maneuvered the bent pen around his thumb, and signed the papers. "There. It's done." He dropped the pen atop the documents and the thud seemed to echo in his mind like a death gong.

Lucas couldn't smell Skinny Guy's stench anymore, since the room itself reeked so badly, but he still felt sorry for him. The papers were rushed out and he brought a big glass of water when he returned just seconds later. It had to have been waiting just outside the door. He took care not to spill any and knelt to deliver it. Lucas grabbed it and gulped greedily. When it was drained and Lucas caught his breath, he said, "Thanks."

"Mistress Gianna will bring in your food after I clean up. You don't want all this crap in here while you eat anyway." He turned his back and crouched in the corner Lucas had improvised into a waste area.

"Do _you_ever get to eat without the smell?" Lucas asked in a whisper.

The guy turned his face to give him a weary look and then shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I think you're a human being who deserves better than this."

"Shhh. Don't say stuff like that. I mean, you're nice to give a rip about me, dude, but I ain't worth the trouble."

"I don't know who's told you that, but don't believe it. If I ever get away from here, I'll come back for you."

Skinny Guy got a panicked look in his eye. They'd been whispering up to now, but he looked up at the camera and almost screamed: "I didn't start it!" Then he looked back at Lucas. "Don't talk about getting away, man. They punish you bad for that kinda talk."

"Sorry," he whispered. Then Lucas looked up at the camera. "He's telling the truth. I started it. He didn't do anything."

"Admirable," a woman's oily voice said from behind the open door. "But I'm certainly not going to deface a prime specimen like you if there's a Shit Boy I can beat instead."

Lucas's blood boiled. He wanted to let loose with a scathing rant against this she-devil, but he didn't like the implication of her threat. It sounded like Skinny Guy would be punished for _his _misdeeds, which included mouthing off. He held his tongue and wished she would walk in so he could knock her off her feet and pull her into a choke hold.

"You're smart," her silky-yet-menacing voice continued. "I know this. I also know you have friends back in Hawaii and on _seaQuest_. Your parents are divorced, but you don't live with them, and haven't for several years. They don't keep tabs on you, but your Navy friends do. You will be allowed to make a recording to say goodbye. You may not mention my name or imply you were coerced. No one will be able to get you out of Juno, so the most thoughtful thing you could do for your friends is to tell them you chose this life and will be happy here. Most men your age _do _come in voluntarily and stay quite willingly. If you attempt to use this privilege to call for help, I will destroy the recording and you simply vanish into thin air. They get no closure and I will beat Shit Boy for your arrogance. You will never get a second chance. Understand?"

Lucas had about a hundred snide comebacks he desperately wanted to spit out, but not if the poor starved guy who already got stuck with too much dirty work would have to pay for it. He bit his lip until he tasted blood and managed to hiss "Yes," through gritted teeth.

"Good." Lucas heard her hard shoes click down the hall in retreat.

When she was gone and Skinny Guy had resumed his diligent cleaning of the corner, Lucas ventured to speak again. "Sorry I got you in trouble. Look, don't answer me if I ask the wrong thing, but what did she mean, 'most men come in voluntarily and stay willingly'?"

"Submissives, dude. The BDSM crowd. Lots of the women want the kind of guys who are into that. They come to Juno because they want to. Of course, no one gets to leave if they change their mind, unless—"

"Shut your useless mouth if you want to eat this week," the feminine voice warned from somewhere far off.

Skinny Guy stopped talking abruptly. He took another trip out of the room, carrying a wad of crumpled newspaper. He left the bundle on the other side of the door and came back with some disinfectant. He poured it out and a thick scent of pine took over the small room. He slopped it around with a rag, leaving generous amounts of residue, for which Lucas's nose was grateful. Skinny Guy stood. "Anything else you need me to clean before I go?"

"No. Thanks and I'm sorry." Lucas extended his hand.

Skinny Guy looked at his hand like he didn't understand. Then he caught on and looked at his own hand, shaking his head. "You don't wanna touch me, dude. You're gonna eat."

"My hands are already dirty. What's the difference?"

They shook hands and Lucas felt him tremble with emotion. He wondered how long it had been since anyone said a kind word to this poor sap. Skinny Guy exited the room, but he left the door ajar. Lucas might have felt a rush of excitement, but his wrist was still chained to the wall and he had no energy to run even if it wasn't. He heard the clicking footsteps of his female adversary and some squeaky wheels. A small cart with a plate of food rolled into the tiny space between the wall and the mattress, pushed by a hand in a shiny red glove.

Before Lucas could see any more of her, he saw a long metallic rod with five prongs. If it had been a giant scepter, it was missing a softball-sized gem. "Do you know what this is?" the menacing female voice asked.

"Yeah, I know. Stun rod."

"Then you should also know we don't buy the kind that are strictly… safe." The rod moved to hover over a potato that sat on the cart. Without touching the potato, lightning sparked out of the five prongs, and joined into a single thick bolt which shot into the vegetable. She let the bolt sizzle and crackle for two seconds and then moved the rod away. The potato was now a lump of charred carbon, smoking on the plate. "Add a little butter. It'll be fine," she said smoothly. "And don't force me to use it on _you_. You're worth more without your hair singed."

Lucas didn't speak, but he got the picture. _Try anything and I'm toast. Literally_.

"Clean yourself up, put on the clothes, and eat. Do as you're told and you get to make your recording in fifteen minutes."

She shut the door without him seeing more than the long red glove and that lightning rod. The cart had a tub full of soapy water with a washcloth in it. _Not as good as a shower, but better than nothing_, he mused resignedly. He stripped off his clothes and did the sponge bath thing in his underwear, feeling very self-conscious with the camera in the ceiling. The clothes he was supposed to wear were the most degrading things he'd ever seen and he had half a mind to refuse to put them on, but he had decided he really wanted to make the recording.

Captain Bridger didn't need to have another young man he cared about just disappear on him so it could eat away at him day by day. No. Lucas couldn't allow that. He would kowtow to this bitch's demands as much as necessary to get some kind of explanation sent, for _the captain's _sake, not his own. He might leave a very subtle clue or two, but not anything that would risk her destroying it. Even if his friends believed the lie he was being forced to tell, at least they'd have closure.

He applied his mind to what to say and how to say it so this red-gloved demoness would let him give this one last gift. Tears welled up in his eyes thinking how much he would miss his friends and _seaQuest_. He was probably doomed to manual labor or perhaps he'd be forced into some kind of sick sex slavery, but it certainly wasn't going to be science and computers and designing awesome new submarines. No, Juno Colony was a deathtrap, a roach motel for men. Guys went in, but they never came out.


	3. Chapter 42 Haunting News

**Chapter 42**

Katie couldn't remember the last time she'd slept. Father Baker had been an enormous help. He organized a bunch of sailors to scout about some of the shadier alleys and the back streets the tourists never saw. They conducted their searches discreetly, out of uniform and off the record, and covering more ground than Katie ever dreamed existed off the beaten path. But it was fruitless. Lucas had simply disappeared without a trace.

As soon as the 24 hours was up, Katie and Ben walked into the Honolulu Police Department. A bored clerk rolled his eyes at them. "A kid who was forced to live on a submarine for two years just turned eighteen and he's suddenly a free agent in Honolulu? Face it, he just decided to get a life."

"He _had _a life," Ben argued with much more civility in his voice than Katie could possibly muster. "He chose to come do consulting for Bridger Hitchcock SeaDesigns, but he was looking forward to going back to _seaQuest_."

"An eighteen-year-old kid was _consulting _for you? Come on. What do you take me for? You got him off that sub so he had a chance to get away and you're only filing this report so the Navy won't blame _you_ for 'losing' their computer analyst." Evidently, he assumed Lucas played video games all the time and collected a paycheck for nothing.

Katie wished she'd worn her uniform. Maybe that would have won them some respect. It was one thing for people to talk to Ben this way, but she wasn't used to it and she didn't like it one damned bit. She glared at the clerk. "That _kid _was graduating with honors from Stanford when you were still bumbling your way through high school. If you're so sure he's decided to become a beach bum, then go check his debit records. He's got to be buying food somewhere, hasn't he?"

She exchanged a quick look with Ben. O'Neill had already run Lucas's account information from _seaQuest _and they both knew Lucas hadn't spent a single dime since he bought a root beer in Broken Ridge over two weeks ago. She and Ben had found it amusing Lucas chose the same establishment where Katie had once performed when she was undercover on the first tour. She didn't need this two-bit cop to run bank records. She was making a point. Who in the world would be living it up in Hawaii without spending any money?

The cop rolled his eyes at her. "Ma'am, we don't go snooping into private citizen's bank accounts when there's no evidence of a crime or endangerment. Give the young man a month or two. He'll surface again when he's out of cash."

"But he's _already _out of cash, officer," Ben argued. "That's what we've been trying to tell you. He uses Fingerprint Debit for _everything_."

"I thought you said he was smart? He has cash stashed. I guarantee it."

Katie leaned in, giving this pencil-pushing jerk her best evil eye. "And what if you're wrong and we're right? What if he's really been assaulted and needs help?"

"Then maybe he should have called," the guy said coldly. He separated the canary carbon of the missing person report and slapped it on the counter in front of her. "There's your copy. Your report is officially filed. Have a nice day."

Katie had never wished a civilian was enlisted as much as she did at that moment. If he were in the Navy, she'd have recourse; she'd have some way to teach this moron some manners. Ben helped her turn and walk away because she was so furious she couldn't see straight. She muttered under her breath in a growling undertone, "If anything happens to Lucas and that guy could have prevented it, I'll make sure his name is at the top of one of these stupid reports."

"I'll see you get the chance," Ben said darkly, but his voice was calmer. He was holding it together even though he had to be just as worried and just as furious.

They made it out into the sun again. Katie drew a deep breath. "Thanks, Ben. That guy really made me want to lose it. How are you staying so cool?"

He shrugged. "I never expected the police to help in the first place. If Lucas had been mugged, we would have found him before twenty-four hours were up. I think we've got bigger worries."

That left two possibilities, but one of them so horrible she couldn't bring herself to talk about. "You think he's been kidnapped?"

"Yeah. Probably some weirdo who wants _seaQuest _command codes or something."

"Tim said the captain ordered them changed the minute we told him Lucas was missing."

"So Lucas gives them useless codes. What do they do next?"

"Ransom? Surely Lucas would tell them I've got money now."

"I don't know. He's pretty protective of you, you know."

Yes, she knew. When Colonel Schraeder took over _seaQuest_, and Lucas had been grabbed by an armed goon, he stomped on the mercenary's foot and yelled, 'Run'. No expectation it would help him. That had been for _her_. "Well, I'm not in any need of protection. He knows I'd pay anything to keep him safe, doesn't he?"

Ben cringed. "At the cost of Captain Bridger's dream?" He shrugged. "I don't know, Katie." She hated to admit it, but Ben was probably right. He took her hand and squeezed. "Hey, don't give up. Let's hope his abductors can figure it out on their own."

"You're right. If they know he has command codes, they should know he was staying with us. All they have to do is look me up."

"So are we actually _hoping _he was kidnapped?" Ben asked.

The one time she'd nodded off for about five minutes, she'd dreamed this was all one big Krieg joke. But she knew that wasn't true. While Ben might have pulled a lot of crazy stunts in the past, he would _never _have told a lie like this to the captain. She gave him a weak smile. "We're hoping he's alive and well."

They drove home in silence. Katie stared out the window, trying not to resent all the tourists for daring to have cheerful vacations right there where any broken-hearted, worry-crazed person could see them.

Their home vid-link system flashed a yellow and black 'saved message' screen. Katie looked at Ben. "Did you give anyone this number?"

"The captain, but he has both our cells. He would call those before he'd leave a message."

_Ransom_. The kidnappers got the number from Lucas. Ben walked toward the console, his finger extended to press the button that would start the tape. "Wait. I need to sit down for this," Katie said. She was a strong woman, but she'd heard far too many lectures on enemy interrogations to feel confident his captors might not just do something horrible to Lucas on camera to prove how serious they were.

Ben waited without any wisecracks or disparaging looks. He pressed the button and retreated from the machine to stand beside her chair. He put his arm around her shoulders and she reflected how glad she was he was there with her. He'd been working hard without a word of thanks since before the whole world caved in and he'd kept all the annoying distractions out of her way when she was trying to focus on the problem. He'd told all her lawyers and business contacts to leave her alone and he'd even handled the media goons who'd come trawling for a story. Piranhas looking to gorge, they were. She knew what they were trying to spin: Sherman Oil was cursed. The founder and son died in a freak accident and now she was suffering likewise. She'd have to remember to thank Ben once this was all over.

There was a lot of blank space on the message which probably meant it hadn't been recorded live. Whoever had Lucas had recorded something, maybe edited and doctored it, and then uploaded it into vid-link. When the black screen brightened, Katie and Ben both gasped. Lucas stood in front of a metal wall, wearing what Katie would have described as a leather Speedo. If that wasn't underwear itself, she didn't know how he could be wearing any underneath it. He also wore a little black bolero vest that didn't cover much and reminded her far too much of the stupid costumes worn by male strippers. Lucas had always been into baggy clothes when she knew him on _seaQuest_. He'd updated his wardrobe since then and wore some nicer slacks and better-fitting shirts now, but he didn't even go to the beach looking like _that_.

Lucas wore a plastic smile, but his eyes were sincere and when he spoke, she could feel the emotion in his voice—urgent or perhaps just passionate:

"Ben and Katie, I'm sorry I didn't come home on time. I met some new friends and we started talking and the time just got away. I have decided to join Juno Colony. Please respect my choice of lifestyle and don't try to make any trouble. Tell Nathan and Kristin thanks for taking me in over the holidays. I have a real home now and I won't ever impose on them again. I'm sure they'll be relieved to be rid of me. Do me a favor and tell Lieutenant Jarvis he's an ass. I'm so sick and tired of him pushing me around. Now I don't have to take his _crap _any more. I found a place where I don't have to wear a lame uniform or keep my hair cut either.

"At Juno I can be myself. I don't have to pretend here. I'm happy with these people. Someone can forward this to my parents. Look at it this way, Mom and Dad, at least I won't be bugging either of you to visit me. This is my last contact with you all. Juno is a closed society and I won't be wasting time anymore on email, vid-link, or the Internex. Tim, you can have my new computer. Don't worry about me. I really am fine. Goodbye everyone."

He looked straight into the camera with those deep blue eyes and Katie's heart melted. Tears slipped out of her own eyes as she continued to watch, but Lucas disappeared immediately after that and scanned documents flashed on the screen. Legal documents with Lucas's signature at the bottom. "Lieutenant Jarvis is an ass?" she managed to say between her tears." If that's not a call for help, then I don't know what is."

"Yeah, you'd think Lucas would have made him an admiral instead," Ben quipped. _Always trying to be funny. _Well, they could both use a little humor right now.

She stood and drew a deep breath. "Can you call his parents? I don't think I could face them."

"Sure, honey," he said absently.

God, how long had it been since he'd called her that? Of course, she'd threatened him against it. Her eyes still full of tears, she looked at Ben.

"Oh, sorry about that. I shoul—"

"It's okay, Ben. I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know how I'd be holding anything together right now."

"You're strong, Katie. You'd be fine without me."

She shook her head. "Maybe when I was a supertanker captain or a submarine officer, but this whole heiress slash billionaire thing is way out of my league. And you—who for all your scheming never made a nickel—you're a natural for this."

"You know you're going to regret saying that."

"Probably. But I mean it, Ben. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled at her, not big and goofy, and not one of his patented charm smiles either. This was warm and genuine.

Right then, warm and genuine was exactly what she needed. She surged forward and threw her arms around Ben and allowed her emotional dam to burst. The tears became sobs and she buried her face in his shoulder. He held her and gently rubbed her back, whispering a soothing "Shh" for a while and then, "We'll get him back. I promise."

"Ben, do you know what Juno Colony _is_?" Her voice trembled even as she attempted to abate the crying.

"Well, according to rumors, it's one giant Play_girl _Mansion." He studied her a moment. She was reining in the tears now. He added, "With leather."

She swallowed. "Yes, but it's more than that. They say it's harder for a man to get out of Juno than it was to escape East Berlin during the days of the Wall."

Ben's face was sober. "The Berlin Wall covered a pretty long stretch. All Juno has to do is watch its docking hatches. You don't get out of there without a submarine, period."

"There are only four hatches and they're heavily guarded, Ben. _No one _gets through."

"That isn't quite true, is it? Harold Matthews wrote that book."

"But he had help."

"So does Lucas. You know the captain won't just sit there and take this."

"Oh my gosh. The captain. I've got to get to _seaQuest_. I'll need a submarine—something fast, but luxurious. I'm an heiress; I'm entitled, right? Go buy something and have it waiting for me in Cape Town, South Africa. I've got to meet someone in New York, but I'm bringing her with me. When you have it all arranged, we'll call Captain Bridger and give him an update."

"Katie, I'm going with you too."

She shook her head. "It's too dangerous."

Ben took a deep breath. A pained look betrayed this was hard for him. "Not if you _own _me."

She could tell by his grave expression he wasn't joking. She could also tell she would never be able to talk him out of it. "Are you _sure_?"

"For Lucas? Absolutely. He's like a brother to me, Katie. I'd never sleep at night if I didn't try. Come on, what's the problem? You had no qualms about ordering me around when I was in the Navy."

"The Navy has limits, Ben. I could literally beat you to death without any repercussions on Juno. It's like Islamic Sharia in reverse."

"Katie, I know you. You couldn't beat me to death if you wanted to. You play the Blue-Eyed Bitch well, but _**I **_know it's not _you_."

So he'd known about her nickname. Not too surprising. Ben was a master at listening to rumors. But this wasn't some war game. "I've got to convince a lot more people this time, and these people aren't playing around."

"Oh, come on." He flashed the charm smile. "You know I'll love it if you're forced to make me your boy toy."

She had to laugh then. He knew all the risks and he was willing to take them for Lucas's sake. But that didn't mean some part of him wasn't going to enjoy this. And the truth was, she _did _need him. There's no way she could convince people she was a rich bitch with a fancy submarine when these people counted wealth in human traffic. She'd been planning to beg Bridger to loan her Jonathan, but there was a very real possibility the commander wouldn't be up for it. He had ambitions for his life and this wasn't a naval operation. Bridger couldn't order it; all he could do was give him leave so he could do this on his own time. The UEO couldn't have any part in this. Sure, Jonathan cared about Lucas, but not as deeply and as personally as Ben did. While she could see her happy-go-lucky ex-husband in a leather Speedo, she had a very difficult time imagining the stiff Commander Ford in one.

When her laughing subsided, she nodded. "Come on, Boy Toy. Go buy me a submarine and some tight leather pants. I wonder if anyplace in Hawaii sells stiletto boots. I can't buy shoes off the Internex and expect to be able to walk in them."

"You said we were going to New York. Go boot-shopping there."

"You're right. I should wait on the pants too. Helga will know where to go."

"Helga?"

"That's who we're meeting there. Old friend. Owes me a favor. I'm going to collect."

"I can buy your submarine from New York, Katie. We should call Captain Bridger now. He's probably depressing the whole crew."

True. He'd been bad when Darwin got sick. She was having a terrible time coping and that was with Ben diverting all her nuisance calls and being able to stop everything to take care of this. But _seaQuest _couldn't just stop. Captain Bridger had to continue the routine despite the burden on his mind right now. "You're right. I'll make the call."

Katie punched in the numbers and waited for the vid-link to connect. Lieutenant O'Neill came through first. "This is _seaQuest_. Go ahead, Commander."

She'd used the military channel so she expected the formal address, but this wasn't really a military matter. She produced one of her rare non-regulation smiles, weakened, of course, by the circumstances. "We've heard from Lucas, Tim. It's not good. He's been taken to Juno Colony. I've got his goodbye recording here. The captain needs to see this for himself, but make sure Dr. Westphalen is with him, and probably Wendy—er… Dr. Smith, too." How lucky were they to have a full-time psychologist on board now? Katie didn't know Wendy very well, but they'd gone dress-shopping together as bridesmaids for the captain's wedding. Katie knew she could be trusted.

Tim nodded. She didn't see his fingers move, but she knew he was routing his headset to speak into the intercom. His voice was missing, but her expectation and experience made it easy to read his lips. "Bridge to Captain." A short pause. "You've got a call from Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock, sir. She wants to speak to you, Dr. Westphalen, and Dr. Smith." Another pause. "Aye, sir." He'd have to throw some more switches, but his next speech was predictable too. "Doctors Westphalen and Smith to the Ward Room on the double." Katie heard the static pop that told her he'd transferred her back to his mic.

"Tim, Lucas left a message for you in this recording. You should watch this too, but don't show the whole bridge until the captain has seen it."

"Aye, ma'am."

Ben stood by her side and she fumbled blindly to grasp his hand. Her hand was shaking and his strength steadied her. She was _not _looking forward to this.


	4. Chapter 43 Who Will Go?

**Chapter 43**

Nathan didn't like it. Hitchcock wouldn't ask the Chief Psychologist to be present for good news. Yes, he'd told Wendy that Lucas was missing because she'd gotten psychic impressions off him when he'd been trapped in that underground cavern. He'd hoped Wendy could connect with him again. But Hitchcock wouldn't know that. She probably had such bad news, she figured he'd fall apart when he heard. And jogging toward the ward room, Nathan wasn't convinced she would be wrong. Although, he took _some_ comfort in knowing Katherine Hitchcock well enough to feel certain she wouldn't give him the one kind of news he dreaded most over vid-link. If at all possible, she would have flown her jet copter out and brought that news in person.

Kristin and Wendy were already there when he arrived. He didn't try to analyze how much of his breathlessness could be attributed to worry and how much to traveling from two decks down and almost the full length forward as fast as he could safely traverse it. His panting didn't go unnoticed by the doctors.

"Where _were_ you?" Kristin asked.

"Stern engineering on A-deck."

"Is the mag-lev down again?"

"Didn't wait long enough to find out." The mag-lev was only faster when you didn't have to wait to board it. In that remote section, he knew he could beat the overall time by running. He looked up at the screen. Hitchcock and Krieg stood side-by-side and he didn't like the looks on either of their faces. A small icon in the lower portion of the screen indicated that the bridge was still connected. "I'm here, O'Neill."

Hitchcock spoke from the screen, "I asked him to listen in, Captain. Lucas addresses him personally on the recording. He has a right to hear."

Nathan nodded. "Recording, you say? Did you speak to him?"

"No, sir. We were filing a missing persons report when the message was left on our machine, but it doesn't look like it was done live anyway."

"All right. Let's see it."

Krieg pressed a button and he and Hitchcock disappeared. The screen went black long enough that Nathan thought Krieg had hit the wrong button and disconnected them. He was just about to ask O'Neill to call them back when Lucas's image filled the screen. At least it was some sick prankster's idea of Lucas's image. The Lucas Wolenczak he knew did _not _dress like that, or rather, _undress_ like that. He'd shared quarters with Lucas enough to know that he wore more than that to _bed_. He liked his clothes on the baggier side and he wore boxers, not bikini briefs. Then Lucas started talking. He could tell immediately that the words were bogus, but he tried to listen intently to catch whatever clues Lucas might have left.

Unlike the recording of Piccolo that the Amazonian dictator had given them, Lucas, while being totally false with several key words, seemed very sincere and earnest in his tone, like he knew that they couldn't rescue him this time. His final 'goodbye' made Nathan's eyes mist up. The genius's ridiculous image faded from the screen and scanned papers with his signature popped up next. When the first page blinked into another, Kristin blurted out, "'Nathan and Kristin'? He won't call me Kristin even in private! Has he _ever_ called you 'Nathan'?"

Too choked up to speak yet, Nathan just shook his head.

Wendy put a comforting arm around Kristin's shoulders. Her voice was gentle and compassionate when she soothed, "That was his way of telling you that this wasn't his choice."

"But he sounded like he really meant it. Goodbye, I mean." Kristin wasn't crying, but her voice wavered with emotion.

"He knows Juno is a sovereign colony and outside of UEO jurisdiction," Nathan said. "He wanted us to know he didn't choose this, but he doesn't expect to be rescued either."

Wendy added, "And he doesn't want anyone to blame themselves or wonder what happened to him."

_Like I did with Robert_. The thought bowled him over. Lucas might have mentioned other names and rattled off meaningless blather, but Nathan _knew_ that this recording had been for him, and probably him alone. The rest had just been gravy.

Hitchcock spoke and he saw her image on the screen again. "Ben and I are going to Juno, sir. I'm going to New York to enlist the aid of an old friend who owes me a favor. She used to be a professional Domme."

"Sir, may I—" O'Neill's voice started.

Nathan was already a step ahead. "Print those documents and report to the ward room, Lieutenant."

"Aye, sir." The bridge icon went dark.

"Who is Lieutenant Jarvis?" Wendy asked.

Nathan chuckled. "It's a Virtual CAD program he was working with. He wasn't having any problems with it, was he?" He looked up at the vid-link screen.

"No," Hitchcock said. "He took to it like a pet and learned it faster than any of the programmers said he would. He taught me how to use it, even though he would have loved to keep playing with it himself. He'd never say Jarvis was 'an ass' or that Jarvis could order him around. That was all a ruse."

"Just like our names, and the uniform and haircut. Deliberate clues no one else would suspect," Nathan said.

"And now _he's_ the pet," Kristin muttered darkly.

Wendy removed her arm from Kristin's shoulder, backed off a little, and swallowed hard. When she spoke, she was attacking the problem on the same level as Kristin, holding nothing back to be 'sensitive'. "Actually, let's hope he _is_ a pet. The leaders of Juno don't hesitate to come right out and call men 'slaves'… or to treat them like it."

Nathan cleared his throat. "I don't like either label, Doctor. Beauregard called us all pets, if you recall, and that wasn't exactly a picnic."

Wendy nodded. "Of course. You're right. But the fact of the matter is that they do consider men to be no more than property. They won't care whether Lucas was coerced to make that tape or not. That's probably why they let him make it. They know you can't do anything."

"Like hell I can't."

"Go ahead and try diplomacy, sir," Hitchcock said. "They'll be expecting it and it's going to be a while before Ben and I can get there. Besides clothes and my consultant, I have to buy a luxury sub."

"You're coming to _seaQuest_ first, right, Commander?"

"Are you calling me to active duty, sir?" She looked chagrined.

"If I did, I'd have to order you not to go, because the UEO can't do this. However, that's not my intention. I'm asking as your friend… _Katie_. You need backup and I intend to give it to you, whether the UEO likes it or not." He'd never been as free with calling her by her first name as other females on board, not because he didn't feel as close, but because he knew how hard she fought to maintain her military command status. Kristin and Wendy weren't military. They didn't understand how women officers couldn't afford to relax if they wanted to maintain respect. And it was because he knew how good Katie was at gaining respect that he knew she was the perfect candidate for this operation. Ben, on the other hand… well, at least he knew that Ben would protect her at all costs and Ben had Lucas's welfare in mind. Besides, he had no way to stop Ben even if he wanted to.

"Of course, sir, I'll make a stop at _seaQuest_."

O'Neill rapped once on the hatch before entering. He carried the documents and he was panting some, but not as badly as Nathan had been when he arrived. He handed over the papers and then blurted out breathlessly, "Let me go in with them."

Nathan suppressed a smile. This was part of the support he wanted to offer, but he couldn't order _anyone_ to do this, especially not a man. "From what I hear, they wouldn't even accept an emissary from the UEO, Lieutenant, and certainly not one of your gender." He turned to the screen. "Mr. Krieg, what kind of cover are _you_ planning to use?" He was pretty sure he knew, but it would be better for Tim to hear it directly.

Ben cringed. "I'm signing the same papers as Lucas did. I'm going as Katie's _property_."

"And you're well aware that if anything happens to her, say she's caught and imprisoned, that they confiscate a prisoner's _property_ and auction it all off. You'd go to the highest bidder."

He straightened. "Yes, sir. I'm aware. But it's a risk I'm willing to take for Lucas."

"I'll sign the papers too," Tim said.

"Tim, I can't be responsible for you," Katie said from the screen.

"I don't expect you to be, Commander. You're a classy rich lady and you should have at least two uh... _properties_, but if you're only going to take one, I think it should be me." Tim looked at Nathan for permission to tell her the secret.

Ben shook his head. "No way, Tim. I'm a lot more expendable than you are."

"_No_ _one_ is expendable, gentlemen," Nathan said diplomatically. "But Tim does have something unique to offer. It's something we've kept out of official records. After he was hit with a Genome Wave Energy zapper six months ago, he's had the ability to send messages telepathically to strong Receivers, like Dr. Smith."

Tim nodded. "I can get word to the outside without any kind of device. They can't confiscate anything and they can't detect it."

Katie looked dumbfounded. "That's how you called for help after the _Fifi_, wasn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you let me think Wendy did it all!" She was glaring at Nathan now.

"That's what you get for leaving the Navy," he said with a wry grin. "Welcome back. I'd feel a whole lot better if you took our secret weapon in, but this is your private operation and it's up to you."

"_I'll_ take him," Kristin said as she stood. "Katie, tell your friend I wear size ten and get me something suitable."

Nathan felt the blood leave his face. "Kristin, I don't th—"

She shook her finger at her husband. "Don't you dare tell me I'm too old for this, Nathan. I can pull this off and you know it."

He raised both hands. "Who said anything about age?" He hated to admit it, but she was right. That deep-seated Westphalen pertinacity was exactly what was called for. He was only sorry he couldn't go with her. She could pull this off, but Nathan didn't think _he_ could.

"No one," Kristin admitted. "I'm just as safe as Katie is. It's Tim and Ben that'll be in danger. How big is Juno, anyway?"

"Big enough that you'll need me too," Wendy said, throwing her own hat in the ring.

"Now wait a minute, Doctor," Nathan countered. "We need you here to Receive or we lose the advantage of sending in a Transmitter."

"Having a me on the inside is more advantageous because Mary can connect us all."

"I don't want to keep asking poor Mary to help us."

Wendy shot Tim an odd look. Tim smiled sheepishly at her, then turned to face Nathan. "She's _already_ in on it, sir. You said it wasn't military, so I didn't think there was any harm in telling her. Captain, she's my fiancée. I'd be talking to her from the inside anyway."

"Fiancée?" So much about Tim's demeanor since drydock suddenly made sense. How could he have missed it?

"Yes, sir. We got engaged in San Diego."

"Congratulations," Kristin gushed. She took a step closer and patted his shoulder. "She's a lucky girl."

"Yes, congratulations," Nathan said, taking his hand for a quick shake. Ben and Katie echoed their congratulations from the vid-link. Nathan was relieved he wasn't the last to hear about this. It seemed only Wendy had known. "All right, then Mary is family and I don't feel so badly taking advantage of her help. But I'm not sure I want both of my physicians leaving the boat at the same time when this mission is going to be unofficial."

"We've been circling the Atlantic for weeks now," Kristin said in a somewhat exasperated tone. "The worst we've had are a few sprained ankles from the fitness center, where everyone is going to work out their frustrations over being so _bored_! Joshua can handle it."

Just before Lucas disappeared, Nathan had been planning to ask Noyce to let someone else have the Deinosuchus patrol, but now he wanted it. He could loiter around the Agulhas Plateau just south of Africa. That would put _seaQuest_ within four hours of the Mozambique Basin, where Juno Colony was, while keeping up appearances.

"What you probably _need_ is more men," O'Neill said quietly.

Nathan shook his head. "I can't ask anyone to sign away all their rights."

"I'm not the only person who cares about Lucas, sir. Will and Miguel will volunteer; I'm sure of it. Probably Piccolo too."

"If Piccolo wants to go, and someone can explain to him what these documents mean, I'll give him leave, and Shan too. But I can't spare Ortiz and still have an excuse to keep _seaQuest_ close. We have to at least _pretend_ to be doing recon on prehistoric crocs." He thought for a moment. "I could spare Brody and Ford as well, but I don't want anyone pressuring them. The stakes are too high and I have no idea what the UEO might do, even if you're successful."

"What are they going to do that's any worse than becoming property?" Krieg said with a derisive snort. "They ought to be grateful we're rescuing one of their brightest minds. This Gianna Valentino woman who owns Lucas right now, apparently has no idea who he is or what he knows. If she ever finds out, do you realize what one of our enemies might pay to get their hands on him? Sherman Oil is prepared to pay whatever it takes, but they damned-well better _appreciate_ it." Katie nodded her assent to Ben's declaration about using her inheritance.

"Take it out of Bridger Hitchcock SeaDesigns if you have to," Nathan said. He didn't let the tiniest note of sadness enter his tone. Krieg was right about Lucas being sold on the world market to power-hungry leaders with no conscience. If Bourne got ahold of him, there was no telling how much faster he might advance that infernal Macronesian Alliance scheme of his. Didn't Major Allen say that most of the Northern Pacific colonies ended up as slave labor camps? Buying Lucas as a slave sounded right up his alley.

Katie took a deep breath. "That's a last resort, but understood. If there's nothing else right now, we'll be flying out within the hour. We'll call you again when we leave New York."

"I'll get you an update on volunteers as soon as possible, but count in Kristin, Wendy, and Tim for now."

"Yes, sir. My friend Helga will need guest quarters on _seaQuest_. She'll come and coach us all, but I won't ask her to go in with us. She doesn't know Lucas and the favor she owes me isn't _that_ big."

"We'll give her the best we have. And tell her we'll owe _her_ a favor after this."

"Thank you, Captain."

Hitchcock and Krieg irised out. He looked at the two doctors and just shook his head.

"What?" Wendy asked.

"That colony doesn't stand a chance with you three women going in there. I don't care what you do as long as I don't have to explain it."

"I tell you one thing," Kristin said. "They are not going to know what hit them when we're done."

"I don't doubt it for a minute." He turned to O'Neill. "Have Shan, Piccolo, Ford, and Brody report to me here. Let's see who's willing to go with you."

"Aye, sir." He turned to the intercom and made the announcement.

Nathan could have done it himself, but it sounded more routine coming from O'Neill. Assuming they got Lucas back, the kid surely wouldn't want the whole boat to know where he'd been and what he'd been wearing, or rather what he _hadn't_ been wearing. It gave Nathan serious chills just to think about what he looked like on that recording.

The petty officer, ensign, lieutenant, and commander were shown the recording and allowed to read the documents. Wendy explained the documents to Piccolo, just in case he missed something. Then he told them about Hitchcock's private rescue plan. All four of them volunteered immediately.

"You'd have to sign your very _life_ over to one of the women," Nathan said warningly. Ford and Shan probably understood without his help, but Brody and Piccolo probably didn't.

Piccolo waggled his brows. "You're not gonna court martial me for ogling three hot babes in leather, I hope."

Nathan couldn't help but smile. He had to have a sense of humor about this, or they'd all be too depressed. He waved an index finger at the petty officer. "One of those hot babes is my wife, Piccolo. You sign those papers and she'll have the right to do more than just court martial you." He knew neither Kristin, Wendy, nor Katie would ever beat Piccolo, but it felt really good to imply that they might. Piccolo needed to understand the gravity of the situation and besides, it was too funny to watch his eyes bug out.

After the eye bulging, he gulped. "I'm still in." He winked at Wendy. "Whip me, beat me, make me write bad checks. I'm all yours."

"I'm in too," Brody said.

"Are you sure, Lieutenant? You can have some time to think about it. Call your wife, maybe?"

"Hey, I make my own decisions. At least until I sign that paper. Valerie knows that I go on a lot of dangerous missions. I told her I wasn't going to change before I married her."

"And will she feel the same if she knows this was a completely optional mission that you undertook without orders? You won't be on duty; you'll be on _leave_."

Wendy took up the cause. "And if you get trapped there, the UEO won't lift a finger to help you. What do you think she should tell your little boy then?"

Brody raised his hands. "Okay, okay. I'll talk to her first. But only so she understands _why_ I'm doing this."

"Good idea."

Shan and Ford said, "I'm in too," in concert, as if they'd rehearsed it that way. The look on both of their faces was exactly like how they'd looked when everyone else was abandoning the first _seaQuest_ and they refused. Calm, yet resolute.

"This could be interpreted as 'conduct unbefitting an officer'," Nathan warned solemnly.

Shan chuckled. "I haven't been an officer long enough to care. Let them take it away."

He directed his gaze to Ford. Jonathan had worked very hard for his rank. There were probably very few things in his life that he valued more. Ford set his jaw and answered, "It's more 'unbefitting' to let someone get away with selling my friend into slavery. If they can't see that, then there's no point in serving in the Navy at all."

Nathan didn't think he could have been any more proud than he was at that moment. "All right. Brody, you can get back to me after you've talked to you wife. All of you get some sleep. It'll be a while before Hitchcock gets here. She's on the other side of the planet and she needs to buy a private sub and go shopping for costumes."

Kristin sidled up to Wendy and spoke with an air of fake conspiracy. "Three women and six men. That means we get two pets each. Should we mud-wrestle to see who gets first pick?"

"Naw," Wendy answered in the same spirit. "I wouldn't want to soil my new skin-tight leather pants. Let's draw straws instead."

The two doctors laughed while the five male volunteers all looked like they got a sudden case of the chills. On second thought, maybe it wasn't so bad Nathan couldn't go on this mission after all.


	5. Chapter 44 Welcome to Juno

**Chapter 44**

Mistress Gianna pointed at the hitching post where she'd chained Lucas in Juno Colony's main hub. She and her lunch companion, Lady Renee, sat at an outdoor café, thirty feet away from him. "The cute young blond," Gianna said to the slave broker. Artificial sunlight bathed the area commonly referred to as the town square, so he wasn't hard to see. At least he'd stopped trying to get out of the shackle. Runaway-prone slaves were considered a headache to some of the highest bidders, so she was glad he'd abandoned that stupidity.

Renee arched a well-manicured brow and tapped long red nails on the restaurant table. "Oh, he's delicious, darling. Is he trained?"

She shook her head. "No. He's a stubborn little cur." She lifted a crystal wine glass to her lips to stop herself from complaining at how much trouble he'd given her, not only with his own ignorant rudeness, but in corrupting Shit Boy to the point that he now needed serious discipline. Not that she didn't love punishing stupid, incompetent males, but he just stank so much that he was hardly worth it. If not for his ridiculously simple but unenviable function on her slave-induction sub, he wouldn't be worth the food to keep him alive.

Renee offered a faux pout in sympathy. "He won't fetch as good a price that way." She grabbed a morsel from the large shrimp cocktail bowl that sat in the center of the table, held it by the tail, and nibbled at the meat.

"I know. I was thinking of renting him to the mines for a week or two, to get him broken in first."

"Good idea. But don't let them put him on digging. No one would pay a premium if his hands are roughed."

"Oh, dear, no. Lifting and hauling should put him in a better frame of mind. Not to mention what it usually does for the abs and pecs." She emitted a guttural purr.

Renee smiled. "You should insist he only work twelve hours a day and kneel for the other four. I just sold a scrawny twenty-year-old for five thousand on the claim that he was already knee-broken, and he wasn't half as cute as your little cupcake."

Gianna laughed. "Oh, you always come up with the best names, Renee. I love that. Cupcake." She took another sip of wine, this time to let their playful banter fade a little before she got serious. "So, with a little extra muscle, a healthy respect for his owners, and knee-broken, how much do you think you can get for him?"

"Private sale or auction?"

"Do you have a private customer in mind?"

"Not at the moment, but I'll keep a lookout. At auction, I'd say at least seven-k."

Gianna sighed melodramatically. "I guess that's the best I can expect until we get some new blood in here." She meant buyers, of course. She'd never wish for any more competition in sales.

"Yes, but more and more of our new colonists are bringing slaves in with them."

"I guess I've just been too good at my job. We now have a bit of a glut on the market."

Renee bolted upright in her seat and her eyes widened in excitement. "Time for some more gladiator games! That ought to thin out the herds."

"Splendid idea. Do you think we'll get many takers?"

"Are you kidding? With Madam Wilma and Mistress Jackie almost coming to blows in the nightclub? They will _jump_ at the chance to show each other up."

"Oh, did I miss another Jackie-Wilma feud?" Gianna pouted.

Renee smiled fondly. "Did you ever. Screaming insults and lobbing beer nuts across the room. The manager asked Wilma to leave before a full-on food fight started."

"Party pooper. Not like she doesn't have a dozen slaves to clean it up."

Renee shook her head. "It's losing customers she's worried about. Lady Belladonna vowed never to come back after getting nacho sauce in her hair that one time." She took another bit of shrimp cocktail and then pointed at the hitching post. "Your cupcake has company, darling."

"Oh drat. Excuse me." Gianna grabbed a small satchel of equipment and her stun rod, and headed toward the hitching post. She'd purposely omitted an essential piece of his training gear because she wanted to show Renee how cute his face was, but now that she'd seen him, he could be properly gagged. It wouldn't do to have him out in public, talking before he was trained, and more importantly, before he'd given up on escape. She wasn't worried he could actually accomplish it, but it was a nuisance to recapture him and he'd have to be punished, probably in some way that would lower his value. After all the trouble he'd been, she really wanted him to fetch a good price.

"Cupcake, give me your right hand." The left one was already chained.

He glared at her, apparently weighing how much defiance he could get away with. He didn't raise his voice, but he did hiss, "My _name_ is _Lucas_."

"Oh no it's not. And you will not backtalk me like that again, _Cupcake_. Lean over the rail."

He didn't move until she showed him the stun rod. Her thumb was on the wattage control. She didn't want to fry him. Corpses weren't worth anything to her. Of course, he wouldn't know just how much wattage she _was_ prepared to use. His eyes bulged appropriately and he turned around slowly and leaned over the horizontal rail, which was designed to be at the average male's hip height. There was enough slack in the chain that he didn't have to lie on his hands, but he did have to stand a bit on tiptoe so that the bend in his anatomy corresponded to the rail more comfortably. Damn, but he was so delectable with his butt pointed at her. She was tempted to lower his leathers and beat him on bare skin, but too much welting might hamper his kneeling lessons later. However, she really needed to release some tension and give him a blistering lesson he wouldn't soon forget, so she left his thin leather brief intact.

She secured his right wrist in a new shackle and attached both wrists together so he couldn't get away. So far, he was holding position voluntarily on the threat of the stun rod. Now that he was a little more vulnerable, she removed a ball gag from her satchel and stuffed it in his mouth before he realized what she was doing. He tried to jerk away, but she subdued him with a low setting on the rod, then she quickly buckled the gag tightly around his neck. He issued some muffled protests, but all it did was verify that she'd attached the gag properly. The hitching post had a nice fraternity-style paddle hanging from the vertical supports. She picked it up and let him see it in her right hand and the stun rod in her left. "I'm going to spank you for your insolence, Cupcake. Hold that position until I say you can move and it will only be fifteen smacks. For every time you leave the rail, I'll double it."

He was quivering with fear, but he didn't try to protest through his gag and that impressed her. She let the first swat hit with only half force as a reward for his respect, but the other fourteen were searing, full-force blows. He grunted through his gag, but he did stay put, so she stopped where she'd promised, at fifteen. She put the paddle back on the nail and ran her leather-gloved hand down his back and then she lowered his waistband to check her handiwork. His sweet cheeks were cherry red and two women who'd stopped to watch cheered and clapped upon the reveal. Renee whistled loudly from back at the café table.

Gianna quickly pulled the leather back in place and smiled at the audience. "No more peeking before you buy, Ladies."

"Awww," they all whined.

"You may stand up now, Cupcake," she said.

He stood and glared at her, his eyes shooting daggers. Again, he didn't try to talk around the gag, which was a little odd unless… _he could be a closet submissive!_ But one second after the idea occurred to her, she rejected it. She understood the type that had to be broken by a truly strong woman, who would only respect a mistress after she'd proven she would be firm in discipline, but a true submissive wouldn't have incited rebellion in her dung slave like he had back on the submarine. No, there was something else going on here, most likely pretending to acquiesce so that she'd relax her vigilance and he could look for an opportunity to escape._ Idiot_.

He still didn't understand how trapped he was on this colony. Yes, the tall dome ceiling and artificial sunshine in the town square gave the illusion that it was outdoors, but it was just that—an illusion. Juno was contained in a dome from which there was no escape. There were only four docking bays and all four were heavily guarded and every cubic inch of cargo was irradiated or bio-scanned to make sure no one was smuggled out _or_ in.

The incoming scans were newer. They had to start those when mothers, sisters, and girlfriends of the captured slaves would smuggle _themselves_ into Juno to look for their stolen property and then try to 'rescue' them, usually without compensating those who'd gone to the trouble and expense of training, feeding, and housing their previously worthless males. Stealing like that was never tolerated. Such offenses would land a woman in irons. And how disgraceful was it to have to declare a woman as no better than a man? Better to just prevent her from shaming her own sex by deporting her for attempted illegal entry.

But then there was the incident with the infamous Harold Matthews. Ingrate. If it hadn't been for Juno, he'd just be another unemployed loser. He wasn't even a real capture. He'd come in as a resident's invited guest, and served her quite happily for almost two months before he decided his puny desires were more important than all the time she'd invested in him. Somehow, he'd got word to his momma on the outside that he was being held against his will.

Mrs. Matthews smuggled herself in (and just how was never publicly revealed because she thought it might work for others), bought her son from his mistress, and then took him legally when she left. Most of Juno's residents admired her fiery spirit and her honor up to that point, but she'd lost all respect when she _freed_ the little brat once she got home. Then, instead of taking credit for her own brilliantly executed plan, she let her insolent son write a scandalous book and become an instant celebrity on the talk-show circuit. He became rich and famous while she lived alone, on Social Security, in an old trailer park.

It made Gianna's blood boil and it fueled her resolve to choose much better specimens for importation. She paid for extensive background checks and only captured men with indifferent families and no girlfriends. Customs checks were much tighter these days. Every identity was checked to make sure visitors weren't related to any of the slaves. And communications were strictly monitored. Males caught touching phones, vid-links, or radios of any kind were severely punished. No one had been successful at any manner of escape for over three years. The sooner Cupcake realized this and accepted it, the better.

She reached for his face and he started to recoil. "Uh-uh, Cupcake. Don't ever turn away from a woman. I'm not going to hurt you, so relax."

She could almost see the wheels of conflict turning in his mind. He stiffened in place and squeezed his eyes shut, like he was mentally trying to deny what he was doing. She cupped his cheek in her hand, ignoring the line of the gag strap. "That's a good boy. I'm going to finish eating and then I'll take you to the training facility. I trust we won't have any more outbursts with your mouth full, so just enjoy the fresh air for now." She patted his cheek and walked back to Renee.

"Gianna, watching you with your cupcake was better than eating a real one. Did you see his cute little grimace?"

She laughed. "Yes, I saw. Too bad I didn't get a picture. It could bump his price up at least a thousand."

"You did that just to tempt me. I think I may bid on him myself."

"Don't I always have quality merchandise?"

The two of them dissolved into giggles. A slave in a toga brought their food, knelt a few feet from the table, and bowed his head.

They checked to make sure everything was as they'd requested (because who could resist punishing a waiter in a toga?) but when it was fine, they dismissed him. Gianna removed her long red gloves and settled to eating. She'd already covered what she wanted to talk about and she was anxious to get Cupcake out of the sun. Artificial sunlight still had ultraviolet waves because the plants needed it to grow properly. Plants kept the air fresher and made all the 'outdoor' areas seem more exotic. But a sunburn right now wouldn't be prudent. He'd have peeling skin just when she wanted him looking his best for auction. She didn't want to delay her payday any longer than necessary.

"Coming to the mines with me?" she asked Renee when they were both done eating and had paid the bill.

"Can't today. I have another appointment." Renee slapped the toga-clad waiter soundly on the rump as she passed him. He'd been good and deserved some sort of recognition. On Juno, you never gave a slave a tip, but there were other ways you could reward them.

The slave turned around and dipped his head to her. "Thank you, Lady Renee."

"Always a pleasure dining here, Poptart."

"I will relay your kind words to Mistress Terri."

Gianna didn't know if Terri had actually named him Poptart or if that was just another one of Renee's cute nicknames. Gianna chose to reward 'Poptart' with a provocative sway of her hips and a blown kiss.

He actually blushed a little. "Thank you, Lady Gianna."

Gianna and Renee parted company and Gianna went to collect Cupcake at the hitching post. She put a leather collar and a leash on him and then unlocked the chain that held his hands to the post. She left the shackles linked to each other, so that his wrists were bound in front of him. With the leash in one hand and the stun rod in the other, she led him off. He kept pace, looking down a lot. She imagined it was some sort of misplaced shame, but it played well as respect, so she didn't say anything to discourage it. His gag-forced silence was also quite refreshing. Why hadn't she done that on the sub?

Juno Colony was built on top of an underground lithium mine. The mining operation was comparatively small, but lithium was so valuable that it didn't need to be a big production to be quite profitable. The ore was actually something of a bonus by-product to having a good manual labor facility. It was perfect for breaking in new slaves, sentencing any colonial lawbreakers, and as a rehabilitation to those who forgot their place. Domina Lizbeth even used it as a kennel when she took trips upworld.

Gianna handed Cupcake's leash to Rita, the Receiving Overseer. Rita looked him over with a critical eye and then started stroking his bare chest. Gianna didn't like anyone but prospective buyers touching the merchandise, but that was one of the conditions of leaving a slave here. There were really only two benefits to a free woman for working in the mines: the pay was great and you got to play with everyone else's pets. Cupcake looked rather horrified over Rita's attentions, but even his horror was awfully damned cute.

"Have you named him?" the Overseer asked.

"Yes: Cupcake."

Rita grinned. "That's _perfect_!"

"Lady Renee came up with it."

She sighed. "She really has a knack for names, doesn't she?"

Gianna nodded. Rita would probably chit-chat for hours if she didn't hurry this along. "I need you to break him, but don't damage his face, hands, or chest. Beat him on the back, legs and butt. No digging with his bare hands or any tools that cause blisters or calluses. Put him on lifting and hauling, with some protective gloves. Oh, and make him spend at least four hours a day on his knees."

Cupcake's eyes grew wide with shock and fear. Yet he didn't try to object over the ball gag in his mouth. Rita stopped stroking him and shook her head. "Well, if we let him rest that much, I can't authorize the same daily wage."

"I know. But I think he can make up for it at auction." Gianna pulled the key to his shackles out of her pocket and handed it to Rita. She placed the key on a numbered hook on the wall, leaving Cupcake restrained as he was. "How long do you think?" Gianna asked.

"Hard to say. He's repressing, which may be his last thread of resistance, or it could be a cover for all kinds of naughty intentions. You want us to try to teach him manners or leave the gag in?"

Gianna found the admission papers on the desk and started filling in the information. "The big spenders like to train that kind of thing themselves. Let's leave it in for at least a week. I'll re-evaluate then."

"Ah, a nice silent one. You're too good to us, Gianna."

She winked. "I know." She finished the last bit of paperwork, signed her name, and then walked over to where Cupcake stood. He looked a little lost, like he couldn't decide whether to try to plead with his mouth obstructed, try to run, or just cower in the corner. Gianna planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving a blood-red lipstick mark. She leaned in and whispered, "Be a good boy and work hard. I'll see you in a week."

He stared back at her with an unreadable expression and she was tempted to take off the gag just to ask him what he was thinking, but he'd probably lie and she didn't have time anyway. "Toodles, Rita," she called as she strode out the door.


	6. Chapter 45 Inside the Mine

**Chapter 45**

Lucas watched as his enslaver disappeared through the door. He couldn't decide if he was happy to see her go or not. He'd been surprised she wasn't the stereotypical Amazon build. She was about average height, even a bit taller than he was, and slender, but not to the point of skinny. It occurred to him that he could easily knock her down with one of the moves Will had taught him, but without a plan of what to do next, it was just stupidity. In another situation, he might have found her attractive, but the blackness of her heart ruined her skin-deep beauty.

Still, for all her cruelty, she had given protective instructions to the person in charge here. It made him sick to hear his body being discussed in terms of its market value, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a small measure of relief. Beauregard had thrashed people for no reason at all, and there had been nothing anyone could do about it. Lucas had the feeling that here, he had a little more control. If he did what they told him to, he might avoid some pain.

His bum still throbbed and burned from being paddled. Much as it stung though, it was nothing compared to being whipped to bloody shreds. Besides, it hadn't been the smacking that really bothered him as much as all the humiliation: leaning over that rail in a public place in broad daylight, having Gianna pull his Speedo down when she was done so strange women could see his sore butt (and cheer!), being paraded around in a gag and a leash, and being called "cupcake". Ugh!

The matron or warden (or whatever Rita was) was now alone with him in the small anteroom. He didn't like the way Rita stroked and petted him, but he swallowed his aversion and did his level best to tolerate it, lest she find something worse as a substitute. She was looking over the paperwork Gianna had filled out, but just as Lucas wondered if her inattention might be taken advantage of, Rita looked up at him. He quickly averted his eyes.

"Come here, Cupcake," she said. Her voice was kinder than it had been when Gianna was with them.

He tried to keep his face neutral as he carried out her request, well, as neutral as he could with this big ball in his mouth. He came within her reach, but she'd have to stretch or step closer if she wanted to start petting him again.

She did step closer, touched his face, and lowered her voice. "Are you a masochist, Cupcake?"

At first, her candor took him by surprise. Why in the world would someone ask that? Even knowing what she was, he couldn't shake the feeling that the question had been heartfelt. He shook his head vehemently.

She talked to him softly, in a matter-of-fact way that Lucas felt drawn to despite trying to hate her. "I will know soon enough if you're lying to me and I will punish lying in a way that doesn't feed your fetish, Cupcake. Knowing that, I'm giving you one more chance. Are you a masochist?"

He looked at her for just a second. Her eyes looked kind and her facial expression caring. He saw no point to pretending he liked pain even if he didn't trust her. He shook his head again.

"I believe you," she said. "I'm not a sadist. That's why they put me in Reception." She drew very close and Lucas tensed up, but he remembered Gianna warning him about turning away from a woman. Rita kissed his face just above the gag's strap, the opposite cheek Gianna had kissed. He knew without looking that she'd left lipstick on him too.

"You probably think I did that for my own pleasure, and you wouldn't be completely wrong, but it's for your protection, so don't try to wipe it off. A kiss-mark is something of a visual admonition against hitting you. Your clothes will do much the same, declaring to the Overseers how they're allowed to punish you. Basically, any skin that's bare and not covered by some sign from a woman is fair game. I have to remove your shackles to change your clothes. I don't enjoy inflicting pain, but I will do it if I have to. Understand?"

Lucas nodded.

She walked back to the wall where the key to his shackles hung and took the key off its hook. She also picked up a small stun rod from behind the counter. It was only six inches long and didn't look nearly as intimidating as the huge scepter that had turned a potato into charcoal in two seconds flat. Still, Lucas knew enough about electricity to know that size didn't matter that much. The long one could have been made that way so that the wielder didn't have to get as close to her target before rendering him harmless, or possibly just to look frightening. "Do I have to demonstrate this?" she asked.

Her voice was serious, but still soft in a way that made him feel somewhat at ease. He would probably kick himself later for his gullibility, but he really believed she didn't want to hurt him. He shook his head.

She lifted the key and he held up his wrists for her. When both shackles were removed, he wanted to yank the ball gag out of his mouth, wipe the lipstick off his face, karate chop Rita, and run away, preferably all of these actions simultaneously. However, the dark passageways out of here had been brimming with pocket doors that could probably all be closed remotely with one button. Escape wasn't going to happen without disabling those doors and he had no idea where the controls were yet.

"_All_ your clothes have to come off. You can do it yourself, or I can do it for you." She was still matter-of-fact, but she also sounded like she was daring him to refuse. No, that wasn't quite it. She wanted to do it herself, but she was showing restraint. Why?

Lucas took the hint and quickly removed the bolero. He looked down at his leather Speedo. He hated the thing, but tiny though it was, it was a whole lot better than nothing. Not to mention, Rita was staring right at him. He spun around so he wasn't facing her, and lowered the last bit of covering he had. His butt grew warmer, like the sting from the spanking had somehow magnified with his present embarrassment. Could butt-cheeks blush?

"Shy, are you, Cupcake?"

Did she really have to ask that? He was naked! He considered pretending she hadn't asked, ignoring what had to be obvious, but on the outside chance it would make her mad, he nodded.

She took a step closer and slid one of her arms around his waist, gliding her hand over his trunk and up to his chest while she drew her body in to touch his back. Lucas cringed to have this strange woman this close while he was naked and trapped. He fought the urge to grab her fondling hand and throw her over his shoulder. She still had the stun rod and besides, if he threw her over his shoulder, then she'd be facing him head-on. He didn't even like Dr. Westphalen seeing this much of his anatomy, and he loved _her_ like a mother. He had to keep his back turned to her at all costs. He started to shiver with a mixture of revulsion, nervousness, and fear.

"Are you cold?" she whispered in his ear. Her voice was gentle, sultry, like she really cared. She pressed herself against his back, presumably to help warm him up.

But Lucas was so petrified, he couldn't even consider lying right now. He shook his head.

Her hand explored his chest and then wandered down to that place he didn't want it to go. Lucas tightened every muscle in his body. For some reason, he felt tears threatening.

The second she touched him in that unspeakable place, she gasped and retracted. At first, she was silent, but then her shocked voice said, "Gianna didn't take you from _a club_, did she?"

_Club?_ He had no idea what she was talking about. He shook his head and pressed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets, trying to stop his stupid eyes from leaking. Why did they pick now to lose control? He was trying not to let on that she was getting to him.

"Oh my god. I'm sorry. I thought you were just _playing_ scared and timid, but you're really not _into_ domination at all, are you?"

He shook his head again, looking at the floor where his discarded Speedo lay. It dawned on him then that she had been surprised because he wasn't aroused. She thought she could somehow turn him on in the midst of all this.

"I want you to know I voted against _that_ law." Her voice had a hard edge now, but he could tell she wasn't facing him anymore, even with his back turned. She wasn't mad at _him_, but rather Gianna or whatever governing body this lawless place might have. "Juno started out as a consensual society. Recruiters used to have to find guys who were into the lifestyle and _wanted_ to come here, the type who would be thrilled at the drama of getting captured. Most of them still do. Are you eighteen?"

He nodded.

"Damn. I might be able to help you if you were underage. You signed ownership papers, right?" She didn't give him time to nod. "Of course you did. Gianna wouldn't have dared to let you off her submarine without her ownership established." He heard Rita step away, open a drawer, rummage, and then close it again. She approached him again, but didn't get as close. Her voice was soft again when she spoke, but without that sexy intonation she'd used before. "This is what you need to wear."

Cotton cloth touched his arm. He turned just enough to accept the clothes. These would definitely cover a lot more than the Speedo had, and they weren't leather. He would have said thanks if he wasn't gagged.

"I'm sorry they are what they are, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm turning my back so you can put them on. I won't stop you if you try to run, but I'd advise against it. Your best hope is to play along until after the auction and pray you're sold to someone sympathetic."

Lucas wondered if this wasn't some elaborate set-up. Have the reception lady pretend to be nice, act like she cares, then unlock his shackles and turn her back. Then when he runs, they nail him for running and beat him senseless. If he remembered American history, running away was about the worst thing a slave could ever do. Africans had been brutally murdered time and again, just to stand as examples. No, he wasn't going to fall for that trick. If she was as sincere as she sounded, then he had to believe she was really trying to protect him. And if she was just another cruel sadist, he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of breaking the rules to give her an excuse to punish him. He wouldn't try escape until he had it well planned and knew he could get away with it.

His relief over having more cloth was short-lived when he saw the style of the new "pants". It was nothing more than a thong underwear. He put it on, anxious to get his privates back in private. It did cover everything in the front, but his burning butt cheeks were completely exposed and there were no other pants. For a second, he'd hoped the shirt would be long enough to cover his bum, but turning the odd piece around several times didn't help him figure out what he had or how to wear it. He turned to Rita with questions in his eyes and the unknown garment held up so she could see the problem. She really did have her back turned. He grunted her name, which was of course completely unintelligible except for it being two syllables.

She turned at his grunt and saw his distress. She stepped forward to help him, but she whispered to him while she did it. "Listen, you're going to be gagged for a week, so no one is going to pay much attention to your grunts, but never try to call a woman by just her first name. The default address is 'Lady'. If you grunt at me again, it needs to sound like you're trying to say 'Lady Rita'. If someone else tells you a different address, then do your best to remember it. For instance, always call Gianna 'Mistress'. Most of the addresses are two syllables, like 'Mistress' and 'Madam', but some like to be called 'Domina' or 'Ms.'; Henrietta insists you call her 'Goddess'. If you haven't been told, or don't remember, then use 'Lady'."

Lucas nodded to her instructions even as he watched her maneuver the cloth until he could make out a sleeve. He finally figured out that the garment was like a hospital gown, but short. It wouldn't fall below his hips. Once he got his arms through the sleeves, he discovered something else. The garment didn't just have an embarrassing little gap in the back. It ended, quite deliberately, at the sides. Rita tied ribbons just under the leather collar and another around his waist so that the front drew close to his chest, but his entire back was bare besides the ribbons and the thin elastic waistband of the thong. He pulled at the edges and twisted his torso, trying to make it cover more, but no amount of twisting was going to make more cloth appear.

"Sorry," Rita said.

He sighed and shrugged, giving up on his twisting. He didn't like his entire backside being exposed, but it was better than being naked. He stood there, still shivering out of nerves.

"I'm going to take you to solitary confinement for your kneeling sessions. Gianna didn't specify how I had to do it, so I'm going to give you a half an hour at a time instead of all at once. That means you'll work for ninety minutes and then kneel for thirty. Hopefully, you'll feel like it's a break. You need to act like it is _not_ welcome or the Overseers will get suspicious. I'm not supposed to do this, but—" She kissed his back twice, once on each shoulder blade. "I don't know if they'll heed that like the ones on your face. A bare back is usually an open invitation and they don't look twice. Some of the Overseers will hit you even if you're working hard, but they're not supposed to do it habitually or it loses effectiveness."

Great. More beatings for no good reason. He tried to muster up some kind of appreciation for her attempt at 'protection', but standing there only half-clothed with a gag in his mouth, it wasn't really coming to him.

Rita gave him some work gloves and led him out of the reception room. "Sorry to have to use the leash. Gianna could have my job if I took this off of you and it would look bad if I just ignored it being there."

Lucas nodded. He figured that was the least of his worries. It didn't hurt and no one was paying any attention to him. The female Overseers were busy hitting and yelling at the slaves. Most of the men were completely naked or wore just the little Speedos. A few had on the same clothes as he wore. Everyone was sweaty and dirty and their backs bore welts and what looked like fingernail scratches. One guy looked like he'd been hit with a cat-o-nine, but only once or twice, and certainly not by anyone as strong as Hans and Frans.

Rita led him past several groups of workers before he noticed a woman digging at the rock wall with a pickaxe. She wasn't dressed anything like the Overseers, in fact, she was hardly dressed at all. With so little clothes on, it was obvious she was a woman, so why was _she_ here? He realized she was probably not any happier about her attire than he was about his and his look was probably bordering on a stare, so in an attack of conscience, he averted his gaze. He wished he could ask questions.

Rita handed his leash to a tall woman with long black hair and dark skin. He couldn't help thinking that she resembled Miguel's cousin Sylvia, except for the long leather strap in her hand. "Cupcake, this is Mistress Carmen."

He nodded. It wasn't like he could say hello or anything. Maybe that was a blessing. He wouldn't be so tempted to mouth off something that would get him in trouble if he couldn't speak. Rita leaned in to Carmen and whispered for a while. Carmen nodded. The reception lady ran her hand over his chest, but on top of the bib-with-sleeves getup he was wearing. He knew she could have easily stuck her hand inside from the gap under his arm if she had wanted to. "Work these pecs up for me, will you, Sister?"

Rita swatted him on his bare butt as she left. It probably wouldn't have hurt at all if the area wasn't still sore to begin with. Lucas jumped a little, which made both of the women laugh at him. Carmen pointed to where the diggers stood. "See those big rocks? It's your job to haul them to the conveyer over there."

That was _it_? Pick up rocks and take them to a conveyer belt? He nodded and started work immediately. Unfortunately, the rock was a lot heavier than it looked. _What is this, pure lead?_ The first few trips, he was moving quite a bit faster than all of the others, but he was just trying to keep the lash off his back, not paying attention to what everyone else was doing. Carmen, however, noticed the difference and beat the others for not keeping up with him. When Lucas figured out that his vigor was costing the other guys, he gradually slowed his pace. The others looked like they'd been there for hours and were already tired.

He didn't have a watch anymore. He would have sworn it had been at least two hours when his strength started matching the slower pace and he was no longer faking it to protect anyone. In fact, he was starting to worry now that he'd fall behind and start reaping beatings himself. But Rita showed up and told him it was time for his private lesson. He acted scared and shied away from her. She grabbed his leash and hauled him off, and he pretended to fight it, to make it look good.

When they were behind a locked door in a 5x5 foot room, she dropped his leash. "You did that very well. You're supposed to spend this time on your knees."

He noticed then that she wasn't holding a stun rod anymore. She hadn't even really made it sound like a request.

"Please try to do it for a while. Gianna will know when she picks you up if you're not really knee-broken. She'll just make you stay longer and probably find someone else to oversee you. She knows I don't like to hurt the slaves."

Lucas was very tired and getting off his feet sounded like a great idea, even if it meant kneeling. He sank to the floor on his knees and pulled his work gloves off his hands.

"I'm not supposed to do this and I'm not even sure it's a good idea, but do you want me to take the gag off? It'll probably make it harder when it has to go back on."

Was this some cruel joke? Lucas looked up at her and nodded. She approached and crouched behind him to loosen the buckle. With slow, careful moves, she slid it out and took it away. Lucas closed his mouth and licked his dry, stretched lips. As soon as some saliva rushed in to moisten his tongue, he squeaked out, "Thank you."

"God, you're cute. I can see why Gianna took you, even if you're not the perfect disposition." She paused for just a second. "That doesn't make it right, though. I'm just saying, you've got a good chance at being okay here. What's your real name?"

He swallowed, his mouth not anywhere near recovered. "Lucas Wolenczak," a hoarse voice that didn't sound like his said.

She produced a hip flask and offered it to him. "It's water, Lucas," she said softly. He took it and emptied the whole thing in one gulp. She watched with a sympathetic look on her face. "I can't help you very much, but I'll do what I can. We should be safe in here. I'm going to pretend I've made you my personal little project and that I bring you in here and tease you to the point of extreme frustration. That's what I usually do when I can find subbies who aren't into pain. You need to pretend that's torture for you."

_Subbie?_ All Lucas could think was that she knew he was a submariner. Did she know about _seaQuest_? "S-subbie?" His voice sounded more normal, but he kept his tone quiet.

"A submissive. Someone who's into being dominated. I know you're not, but you should pretend you are. If anyone finds out I'm bringing you in here to take off your gag and let you rest, then I'll get yelled at and they'll give your training responsibility to someone else. That would mean twelve straight hours of hauling rocks, followed by four straight hours on your knees. Do you _want_ that?"

The ninety minutes had seemed like hours. He couldn't imagine what twelve straight hours would be like. He shook his head. "No. Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because I don't believe anyone should be here against his will. Probably seventy-five percent of those guys out there misbehaved _on purpose_ just to get in here." She thumbed over her shoulder in the direction of the door.

Lucas couldn't wrap his head around that idea, but he didn't question it. "And the other twenty-five percent?"

"They don't want to be in the mines exactly, but if you gave them a choice between the mines and being banished outright, there's maybe only ten guys total who'd choose to leave Juno."

Lucas wished he could figure out which ten guys were like him, but he didn't think it would be prudent to ask. Instead, he addressed his other burning question. "I saw a woman."

Rita sighed. "Yes, there's a few of them in here too. You can be pretty sure they're not here by choice. They broke the law. This is the closest thing we have to a prison."

He nodded. By what he could see, it would work very nicely as a deterrent to crime. But nothing made much sense. He'd assumed a colony that had no laws against kidnapping, slavery, or whipping people could have any sort of real, reasonable law at all.

She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I know it's hard for a vanilla to understand, but most of us love the theatrics and the drama. We say no when we mean yes, but yes is always implied just in being here."

He coughed. "But what if someone _didn't want_ to come here?" He dropped the pretense of talking in hypotheses. "What if _I_ really mean no?"

"When you're sold, you can try saying 'Safeword'. Depending on your owner, it might work. But don't say it in public, or she'll have to punish you just to save face. This colony is all about taking the lifestyle seriously. They don't _play_ Dommes like the sceners do, they _are_ Dommes."

_They?_ So she didn't count herself as one of the population? He didn't feel he knew her well enough to probe on that. But he still had at least a week until being sold. "And in the meantime?"

"Do what you're told and if you get punished, try not to show any reaction. Sadists feed off the whimpering and cowering just as much as the act itself. They'll find someone more fun to punish if you don't supply them what they like."

That sounded reasonable, but incredibly difficult. She was asking him to take a beating the way Captain Bridger had, with more bravery than Lucas had within him.

"I told Carmen you're not a masochist. She's one of the few sadists who doesn't like the idea of beating the guys who aren't into it. She'll probably go easy on you if you don't take advantage, but she has to keep up appearances."

"I'm trying."

"I know you are. I wish I could help you more, but this is the best I can do. How are your knees?"

"Starting to get numb."

She looked at her wristwatch. "You've got fifteen more minutes before the break is up."

"I'm going to try to tough it out."

"That's probably smart."

"In case I forget later: thank you, Lady Rita."

"You're welcome, Lucas."


	7. Chapter 46 Assembling the Team

**Chapter 46**

After loading several huge trunks, Katie boarded her brand new LS-909 luxury sub, the _Splendor of the Sea_. She was gorgeous, even if she was just a cover—plush carpeting, comfortable lounge seats, real wood tables and cabinets, marble floors and counters in the galley and head, and four expansive staterooms that looked like they'd come from a five-star hotel. Katie was already thinking she might keep the little beaut even after all this was over.

"I'll drive," Ben said.

"No way. She's mine. You know I'm a better driver."

"When you've had time to sleep, of course you're better than me," he said smoothly.

When did he learn how to disarm her by flattering her for her abilities instead of her appearance? She didn't know how to argue with that.

"You're exhausted, Katie. So please let me drive or we'll wait while you take a nap."

She'd flown the jet copter from Honolulu to New York, found Helga, gone with her on a nine-hour shopping marathon, and then only slept six hours before flying from New York to Cape Town. Ben knew how much this sub had cost and he knew how critical this mission was to Lucas; he wasn't going to do anything stupid. She'd certified him in submersibles herself when they were both on _seaQuest_. He could handle this. And sleep did sound very tempting. "You're right. You drive."

Rendezvous with _seaQuest_ was four hours away. _Splendor_ would only be covering one-fifth of the distance, since she didn't have near the speed of the larger submarine. Katie leaned back in one of the first-class lounge seats. Helga made herself comfortable in the seat beside her. Katie intended to rest for just a few minutes and then go back to one of the staterooms, but once she closed her eyes, she crashed hard.

"Katie?" Ben's soft voice interrupted a particularly disturbing dream. His hand was on her shoulder. He'd been shaking pretty firmly.

She bolted to alertness. Her military training kicked in and her mind started gathering information. She could tell immediately that the engines were dead. "What's wrong?" she asked Ben.

"Nothing. We're docked with _seaQuest_. I didn't scratch the paint or anything."

A few years ago, she would have brought up how many other sea-crabs and shuttles he'd damaged in his career, but her heart was too heavy to dredge up old wounds. "Thanks. You were right. I needed sleep."

"You know, there're beds in the staterooms."

"I know. I only meant to close my eyes and I was out like a light."

Katie reached over and roused Helga. "We're here," she told her friend in hushed tones even as she forced herself to standing.

Helga yawned. "Already?" she said in a heavy German accent. She stood and stretched too.

Ben carried Helga's suitcase, but they left the big trunks alone. Katie was going to suggest they bring the team onto her sub so that no one would be seen on _seaQuest_ in their costumes. Two doctors, four officers, and Lucas's NCO roommate had volunteered to join them. She'd bought enough clothes that they'd have a little choice in what they wore, but Helga would be in charge of dressing everyone. She was the expert and she not only had to decide what fit well, but how each team member would create a believable persona that blended with the rest of the team and wasn't too hard to fake. As far as Katie was aware, no one, including her, knew enough about this lifestyle to pull this off without help.

Captain Bridger, Dr. Westphalen, and Commander Ford met them at one of the docking collars, since _Splendor_ was too big to park inside the launch bay. Katie introduced Helga to them. Bridger was his usual charming self and thanked her for agreeing to help them out.

"Where should I take her bag?" Ben asked.

"We've prepared guest quarters on B-deck."

Ben looked around hesitantly. "I've never been on **_this_**_ seaQuest_. Are the decks the same as the old one?"

"I'll take you down," Dr. Westphalen offered.

"Helga, is fifteen minutes enough?" Katie asked.

She nodded to Katie as she followed Ben down the corridor towards the mag-lev.

"Captain, we were thinking of having everyone meet on the _Splendor_, so no one has to be seen." She didn't outright ask permission, but it was implied in the tentative way she'd told him. Katie considered them equal partners in their business, but he was fully in charge on _seaQuest_ and she wouldn't dream of trying to run anything on his boat, even if it was a secret civilian rescue mission.

"Good idea. Is it okay if I sit in?"

"Of course, sir. You want to have a look at the LS-909 while Helga gets settled?"

He grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that." He turned to his XO. "Commander, tell the others to report here in fifteen minutes. Discreetly, please."

"Aye, sir." He turned and left. Katie thought he looked a little disappointed for not being invited on the tour, but he would have plenty of time to explore _Splendor_ on the trip to Juno.

Bridger was mildly impressed with the luxurious accommodations, but he practically drooled over the navigation compartment. "They've made it so _anyone_ could pilot this!"

Katie chuckled. "I know. I let Ben drive so I could sleep."

"Oh, he's not that bad. We let him dock manually and he hit it dead-on the first time."

"And you'd never have let him hear the end of it if he hadn't."

"Hell no. But not just me. You _both_ still have friends here."

"I know. I can't believe you got five guys willing to go along with this."

"I don't think they're doing it for me." Of course they were doing it for Lucas. But that didn't mean they wouldn't have done it for someone else on Bridger's request.

"Maybe. But _you're_ giving them leave and keeping _seaQuest_ close in case of trouble. That's more than I could have asked."

He laid his hand on her shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, this doesn't even count towards what we already owe you. I don't know what I'd do if you hadn't come."

"We'll get him back, sir. I swear I won't leave that colony without him."

"I know you will. And I'd tell you not to take any chances or put anyone at risk, but you'd just disobey me."

She smiled. He knew her pretty well for someone who'd only served one tour with her. "Then you also know it would kill me to ever disobey a direct order from you, sir."

"That's why I'm not giving you one." He lowered his voice and spoke in a solemn tone. "Although if you die in there, I'm telling Noyce that I called in your Reserve clause and you acted in the line of duty. Ben was right. Lucas is a huge asset to the UEO. Getting him back is just as much political as personal."

"Not for us."

"Me either. But I _will_ protect their interests despite themselves."

"Anything I should know about Piccolo and Brody?"

Bridger gazed out the front window at the open water with _seaQuest_'s great hull taking up a good deal of the side view. "Brody would probably be a SEAL right now if I hadn't sidetracked him. He'll carry out any order you give, and he can probably find a way out when no one else can, but he's more a doer than a thinker. Tell him what you want and he'll make things happen. Piccolo… well, he's sort of in a class all by himself. Six months ago, I wouldn't have let him come with you at all. About the best thing I think he has to offer is that he actually finds women in leather attractive."

Katie regarded him with a single arched brow. "Are you saying _you_ don't?"

He smirked. "I'm saying I know Kristin will look great no matter what she wears, as will you and Wendy, but I'm more interested in what a woman has up here." He tapped her temple lightly. "Piccolo won't have to fake a sassy mouth to give one of you an excuse to smack him. He does it quite naturally."

"But does he enjoy being smacked?"

"Not exactly, but while the rest of you probably see this mission as a necessary evil to be endured, he's going to enjoy it. He'll understand the Juno women on a level you and I never will, and that should be to everyone's advantage. Just don't let his wisecracks fool you. He does have a heart and he cares about Lucas more than he'd ever admit."

"I could tell by the way Lucas talks about him that they're pretty close."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if all other things are equal, you should consider teaming Brody and Piccolo with Dr. Smith. Neither of them know _you_ at all and they've only known Kristin since the wedding. If they've got to sign their rights away, I'd think they'd rather sign themselves over to someone they've known a little longer."

Katie nodded. "I'll tell Helga. She's going to help us all come up with good covers."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're not just going to put on costumes and think that's good enough. I've been on the vid-link with the colony's governor, a Ms. Diana Nelson." He spat out her name like it was distasteful. "And I can tell you she's quite adept at legalistic double-speak and rigid tunnel vision."

Katie took a deep breath and threw her shoulders back. "Then she is on my official list of people whose butts I want kicked."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I won't discourage it. No one said Piccolo is the only one _entitled_ to fun, just that he's the only one likely to find it. If everyone gets out all right, then the UEO had nothing to do with this and any butt-kicking is your own business. You may have to flip Kristin over who gets first punch though."

Katie grinned. "We'll share."

They heard footsteps near the docking collar. "Anybody there? Permission to come aboard?" Kristin's voice called.

"Come on in, Doc," Katie called. She and the captain both left the navigation compartment and headed back to the passenger area.

"Whoa, this is some little puddle-hopper you've got here."

"With nine of us, it's no longer a cozy little excursion, is it? This is the party model."

Kristin smiled warmly and opened her arms for an embrace. Katie accepted the gesture. If anyone knew how she felt right now, it had to be the woman who loved Lucas like a son and had the same penchant for stubbornness as she did. "This new toy of yours is beautiful, Katie, but _you_ look like hell. How much sleep have you had?"

She shook her head. "Not enough. But as the captain has pointed out, anybody could drive this baby, so I can sleep once we're done briefing."

"Anybody? Even me?" Her face was all innocence, but very interested.

"I bet you could. In fact, when we get close to Juno, we should shoo the men out and take command. Makes them less suspicious of our uh… _pets_ that way."

"I'm liking this more by the minute. You hear that, Nathan? I not only get to own fawning pets, but I get to drive with no one down here to give me a hard time about which side of the street is proper to drive on."

Bridger snorted playfully. "I send the four best submersible pilots in the Navy, but you put my CMO in the driver's seat of your luxury liner."

Katie shrugged. "Only if she wants to. Otherwise, I say we relax and let the men do all the work until the colony tries to hail us. Then we take credit."

"Oh yes, much better idea." Kristin's eyes sparkled mischievously. Katie wasn't going to tell the captain this, but she had a feeling that his wife might enjoy this trip more than he would know.

Wendy arrived at the circular opening. "Is this where the superior gender checks in?"

Katie laughed. "Yep, you're in the right place. Pick a stateroom to leave your bag. I hope you didn't bring clothes. Helga is going to dress you."

She raised her hands. "Just toiletries and underwear. Promise."

On her heels were O'Neill and Shan, both in civvies and without any kind of luggage. They both gawked at the interior of the _Splendor_ with mouths agape. "Nice sub, Commander," Shan said.

"Oh, don't you 'Commander' me, _Ensign_," Katie mock-scolded. "I haven't seen you in years!" She opened her arms in invitation. She and Will hadn't been very close on the first tour, but a lot had changed since then. He'd been to OCS and she'd only recently joined the Reserves. Besides, none of them were supposed to be on duty now. Will looked a little skeptical for a second before he broke a smile and hugged her briefly. She whispered a quick "Thanks for coming," in his ear before releasing him.

"All right," a loud, swaggering voice with a Philly accent rang out, "don't all you dames fight too hard over who gets to own me, but I hear the loser gets O'Neill here." The short braggart—wearing a psychedelic shirt and sunglasses so dark he probably couldn't see—slapped Tim on the back. Katie knew Tony's voice from Lucas's birthday party even though they hadn't formally met.

The captain was hidden from view behind Dr. Westphalen, but he spoke in a loud yet mostly harmless tone, "Piccolo!"

The little man jumped. "Cap, I didn't know you was comin' with us."

"I'm not. But I'm going to listen in on the briefing, if that's all right with you."

"Yes, sir," he said contritely.

"I've seen you around," Katie said, "but I don't think we've ever been introduced."

"Allow me," Bridger said. "Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock, this is Petty Officer Anthony Piccolo."

"You can call me Tony, ma'am." _Well, at least he's polite_.

"Not just yet, Mr. Piccolo. Tell me, did anyone explain the documents you've got to sign to go with us?" She gave Bridger a covert wink. She knew he would have covered this, but a question was the best way to introduce the subject.

"Yes, ma'am. If Lucas already signed them for some stranger, the least I can do is sign them for you or one of the docs." Katie was impressed that despite what Bridger had suggested, this guy was willing to trust _her_ that much.

"And if something happens, and we're killed or incarcerated, you could end up property of a stranger, just like Lucas."

"Yeah, well, I got a way out that he don't got." Katie looked at him quizzically, but he was looking at the captain. "Don'tcha think she oughtta know, sir?"

Bridger shrugged. "Mr. Piccolo has gills, Commander." Katie remembered seeing an email address somewhere that said 'gilledstud' but she'd never taken it seriously. She'd always thought it was just another way of declaring a fondness for swimming. She stared at the stocky little guy with piqued interest. Bridger spoke again. "But there's something _you_ should know, Piccolo. Juno Colony is too deep for you. You try to swim out of there and the pressure will crush your skull."

The look on his face betrayed that he hadn't realized this before. Katie cringed. She still had nightmares about Colonel Shraeder's imploding shuttle. She'd tried to warn him, but he'd assumed she was lying. She hated the guy for what he'd done to her and what he'd tried to get away with, but she still couldn't forget his pained screams over the radio, when his eardrums probably burst, right before his sub was crushed by water pressure. She leaned in and spoke softly to Tony. "No one will blame you if you change your mind. We're not leaving _seaQuest_ until we're ready with our costumes and cover roles. You've got a while to think about it."

"Thank you, ma'am, but I ain't changin' my mind. I got less to lose than most of the other guys who're goin', gills or no gills. If you'll take me, I'm goin'."

The captain was right; Tony probably _would_ understand the colonists better than any of them. Yes, he had an irreverent side, but he also knew how to put people at ease. That was very valuable when undercover. Katie extended her hand. "Welcome aboard, Tony."

He shook her hand and grinned, but he didn't try to call her Kate, Katie, or even Katherine. He didn't say anything. Katie could see in his eyes that somewhere along the line, someone had taught him respect for a certain class of women—a sister, a mother, or maybe a grandmother—but he had a handle on this. He could show respect when it was called for. She was more worried what Ben might say than what Tony might.

By the time they were done chatting, Ben, Helga, and Jonathan had returned. She also saw Brody and O'Neill conversing quietly on the other side of the room.

"If everyone wants to get comfortable, I think we're all here." Katie pressed the button to close _Splendor_'s docking hatch. She left the clamps on so they were still connected to _seaQuest_ by the collar, and _seaQuest_'s matching hatch would stay open, but this way they had privacy. "Helga, it's all yours."

Everyone had taken seats in the lounge area, so Helga walked around among the chairs. That woman never could stand still. She was tall and shapely, with flaxen blonde hair. She wore plain black slacks and a red blouse. Although Katie had seen her friend in quite a few fantasy costumes, she'd always looked most natural in lederhosen and braids. That was the image that came to her mind whenever she thought of Helga.

"You are all here of your own free will, _ja_?" Her German accent was noticeable, but not so thick as to be distracting.

A smattering of affirmative responses and head-nods met her.

"_Gut_. I used to visit Juno until they changed the laws. We are all agreed it is not right your dear Lucas is there against his will, but we must play parts that are not the same as ourselves, _ja_? Is everyone ready for the training?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then we begin _jetzt_."

By the way people looked around, it was apparent that last bit of German was over their heads. O'Neill whispered a quick translation, "Now."

Without warning, Helga slapped Tim's cheek soundly. Everyone gasped. Tim looked absolutely stunned. Kristin moved forward in her seat like she was about to go defend him, but the captain held her back.

"You were all shocked, no?" Helga asked. "This is lesson one. You cannot be shocked over such a thing. A man does not correct a woman. Or interrupt her. And men on Juno will be slapped for even less offense than this. You must think it normal and blasé, not worthy of attention. You gasp like you all just did, and everyone there will know you for frauds." She paused for effect. "But perhaps this will be easier if we dress you for the part first. I am thinking the boys need to stand." Her sentence didn't sound like a request; it sounded like she was tossing out ideas to Katie and the others.

Tim and Tony sprang out of their seats. Shan followed their example, but the rest just looked confused.

"_Jetzt_!" Helga yelled. It didn't need translation to understand her intent.

Brody, Jonathan, and Ben stood then, but they had that deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces.

Helga shook her head as she paced and talked. "You did not expect to be called boys, I am assuming. You will be called 'boy' and 'idiot' and worse names I will not speak in front of your captain." She gave a polite dip of her head to Bridger, perhaps to prove that she was not a misandrist. He nodded back in kind. He'd gasped at the slap, but he had figured out what Helga was doing faster than Katie did.

"I don't think they understood your statement was an order either," Wendy said.

Helga nodded and looked at Wendy with softer eyes. "For purposes of helping us learn, I thank you for your insight." Her voice was different when speaking with Wendy, too—respectful and patient. "But also for purposes of learning, you must never defend a man's stupidity. Women are above this. We are the queens and the goddesses. We do not concern ourselves with what the peasants and peons," and without skipping a beat in her speech, she smacked Brody on the butt, "want to hear. If we go to the trouble of expressing a whim or desire, then it is their _duty_ to fulfill it." She waved her hands at the men now standing. "You have chosen this lifestyle because you think this same way. You adore and worship women. Their spoken wish is your command, no matter how it is worded."

The men nodded silently. Katie felt a little sorry for them, but not much. This was good practice and if any of them couldn't hack the simulation, they may as well back out now.

"Take off your clothes," Helga ordered.

"You mean right here?" Ben asked.

Helga backhanded Ben in the face and Katie was surprised how badly she felt for him. Helga kept a stern tone: "Of course I mean right here, you insolent moron. You must lose these silly inhibitions of yours. If a woman says sit, you sit, if she says take off all your clothes, then you do not regard her as if she did not know what her words meant. You do as you are told—without question, without hesitation."

All of them were moving now, unbuckling belts, pulling off shoes, unbuttoning their shirts.

Katie cleared her throat. "Helga, I wouldn't mind getting a free peek at all the goods, and the doctors have both seen everyone before, but we shouldn't subject Captain Bridger to this. Tell them to keep their underwear on."

Helga smiled as if she'd been hoping Katie would say that.

"If I'm hindering you, I could leave," Bridger offered.

Helga raised her hand. "No, Captain. Please stay. I did not wish to uncover them completely, but I did wish them to know that any woman on Juno could ask this." She shifted her gaze from the captain to the standing men. "You will each have an owner and it is considered impolite to ask something of this nature without consulting the owner first."

Several of the men breathed deep sighs of relief.

"But…" She raised a finger and spoke in a warning tone. "…if your owner is not present, any woman may appropriate you to do her bidding. All women are considered your superior."

Helga turned from the men and looked at the seated women. "Ladies, you must be very careful in what you prohibit if you are asked. You should regard your males as toys and trinkets. If a woman with whom you have shared lunch and good conversation asked to borrow your new purse, you would not hesitate, _ja_? It is the same with slaves. You should agree if all they ask is to humiliate the male, or to cause him minor pain. These people play with pain, for fun. It is kicks. It is jollies. You must only refuse if you can think of a good reason, like to stand up for _your_ rights. You paid good money for your toy, or perhaps you have spent much time training him to serve you. Katie, if a woman you have just met asked to take _Splendor _out for a spin, would you allow it?"

"Hell no."

"It is like that. You let them play with your toys while you watch and this is fun for all. But you would stand out just as much if you regarded the toy as worthless. You would not let someone else damage or steal what is yours."

She walked around, appraising the men, now in their underwear. Katie really felt sorry for them, all trying to maintain some sense of dignity. Jonathan's jaw was set and he stared at the wall. "You, Nubian, and the helpful translator, what are these scars you have?"

Jonathan answered through his teeth, "Souvenirs from a previous mission."

"Turn and let the ladies see, please." _Please?_ Katie couldn't imagine what had caused Helga to suddenly talk so nicely. But then Tim and Jonathan turned around and showed their backs.

Katie and Kristin gasped. Will and Ben both took a curious peek and cringed. Katie heard Will mutter, "Well, now I know why Tim wouldn't do his martial arts lessons without his shirt."

"Tim, your back looks worse than Nathan's!" Kristin cried.

Wendy explained, "Beauregard thought Tim wasn't bleeding enough, so he ordered his thugs to use all their strength. Jim and Lucas both had scars like Jonathan's, but they had them removed. That doesn't mean they suffered any less."

"Lucas was beaten like _that_?" Ben asked, aghast. Katie had thought the same thing. Between looking at Tim's back and imagining Jonathan's scars on Lucas, she was getting sick to her stomach.

Wendy nodded. "And he was just starting to get over it."

Helga spoke again, her training voice absent. "It speaks very highly that you who have been so abused would go to this place for your friend. I am humbled in your presence."

Jonathan finally broke his stiff stance. "It's _because_ we've all suffered like this that we can't let it happen to Lucas. Not _again_. We're clearly out of our league here, and we need your help, so thank you for helping us."

Everyone nodded.

"All right," Helga said, trying to work herself back into character. "Let's see what we can do with this. You," she pointed at Tim, "will need to cover that up." She opened one of the trunks and started moving things around while she talked. "A lifestyle domme abused you and your present mistress finds these scars repulsive. She rescued you from the abusive mistress and you feel indebted to her for this." Tim nodded as she rattled off his cover story.

"Ah, yes, this is it." She handed Tim a sleeveless black shirt. Katie remembered buying it. It was slinky lycra in the back while the front was just strips of fabric here and there that suggested a lopsided lattice. She'd thought at the time that it was sexy and didn't care whether they used it or not on the operation. She had plans to see Ben in it. Tim slipped the shirt-vest over his head and then pulled at the strips. Evidently, he was trying to make the asymmetrical garment conform symmetrically, or maybe he was trying to spread out the fabric so it covered more. Neither goal was attainable.

Helga chuckled, but she covered her mouth. She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "You just let it hang how it falls."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Next lesson: how to properly address women. The default address is Lady. Unless I have told you to call me something else, you would automatically call me Lady Helga."

"Thank you, Lady Helga," Tim amended.

She pinched his cheek. "And aren't you just the cutest thing?"

"He's engaged, Helga," Katie warned.

"Then someone ought to get a picture for his lucky girl."

"Um, I'm still in my underwear," Tim pointed out.

"I could fix that," Helga said with an evil grin.

Tim eyes grew wide under his glasses, but he kept his mouth shut. He probably didn't want his face smacked again. Helga grabbed some leather pants and tossed them to him. Katie was glad she didn't have to point out how white and knobby his legs were. He wouldn't look good in the Speedo style. "Go change," Helga commanded. "And do not try to wear your underwear with it. It is like swimwear. You wear nothing underneath."

Tim practically ran out with the pants.

"These ain't exactly scars, but what d'ya wanna do about these?" Tony canted his head over his own shoulder and made sure Helga saw his lower back.

"What are _those_?"

"Gills. They're kinda hard to explain."

She shuddered. "Disgusting. You must cover too. Never have I seen so many men needing the covering. Katie did we get any other shirts?"

Katie thought a moment. "Didn't we get a jacket-thing? It was purple and black."

"Oh yes." Helga rummaged deep in the trunk and pulled out another sleeveless garment, this one in a thin vinyl material. It was not as shiny as a rain slicker, but not matte either. Katie thought it looked like a shower curtain. Helga tossed it to Tony.

He looked at it and smiled as he put it on. The front part of the 'jacket' ended close to the sides, so it left his chest bare. He started strutting around in his underwear and the purple plastic thing. "Hey, I look cool in this."

Katie tried not to laugh and it appeared several of the others were trying not to as well. "You can keep it, Tony," she told him.

He looked at Katie, excitement playing on his face. "Thanks, Commander!"

Helga shook her head and tossed him a pair of leather Speedos. She thumbed in the direction of the staterooms. Tony took off and met Tim returning.

Wendy held up a pocket PDA and a light flashed on Tim.

"Hey now, we came in here for privacy," Bridger reminded her. "No pictures."

"It's for Mary. No one else will see. You can watch me erase it."

Tim didn't look like he liked the idea, but he didn't argue. "May as well let her, Captain. She can show Mary anything she's seen when they mindlink. At least this way, I'm wearing pants."

Bridger shrugged and relented. After all, who was he to talk when he was sitting there, watching everyone? Wendy emailed the picture and then she let Tim watch as she deleted it. Katie was thinking it might be fun to get some pictures of Ben, but he'd insist on reciprocity and she already knew what her costume looked like. She didn't want photographs in existence for even a second.

Helga turned to Jonathan. "You, my dear Nubian, we will not cover you up. You are proud of this and we will say that your mistress gave you this as a birthday gift."

He scoffed. "A gift? You're joking."

"Not at all. You are hard-core masochist with high tolerance for pain. You loved every minute. You are quite proud of these scars."

"I was screaming my head off," Jonathan muttered.

"You were _not_," Wendy said.

Helga scoffed. "Forget the truth. We are making up the story now. A sadist does not mind screaming anyway. This was not abuse. You could have stopped this at any time with a safe word or a gesture like dropping a small ball."

"Safe word?"

"Something agreed in advance that is out of the ordinary, like 'bubblegum' or 'linoleum'. It is signal to stop. Some submissives enjoy saying 'no' or screaming to heighten the drama, to further the illusion that the woman is in charge."

"But the women _are_ in charge," Shan said.

"Some of them are," Helga allowed. "But many of the relationships are consensual behind the closed doors. It is actually the men who originally pushed for the law to be changed. The illusion wasn't enough and they wanted to burn their bridges. They thought that would turn their fantasy into reality." She shook her head sorrowfully. "But all it did was create a situation ripe for abuse, as your captured friend will attest."

She appeared to be in deep thought for a moment and then shook it off. "So some women are the kind who create illusions, and some are sadistic bitches who hate men and take out their frustrations on them. They have created a place where they can get away with this. These men haters have been the most vocal and powerful in recent years. They keep the others afraid to admit it publicly."

"You're saying some of the population would be sympathetic to our cause?" Kristin asked.

"Easily half," Helga said. "The problem is telling which half is which, when these people thrive on illusions and theater."

"Yeah, just what we need, another Theater of Suffering," Wendy said darkly. Katie had the feeling that this was an inside joke, probably something to do with the scars on Jonathan and Tim.

"You will not know who you can trust, so trust no one."

"Shouldn't we decide our teams before we go any further?" Katie asked. "I need to know if I am the type who rescued Tim from a big bad mistress, or if I am the kind who could beat Jonathan to a pulp for his birthday."

"You are right, Katie. We should get this settled first."

* * *

_**Author's Note: Well, looks like the votes are in. I lost a lot of readers going this direction. Since those who dumped me (and visitor counts indicate it's at least 30 people) aren't going to read this, there's very little point in apologizing. My muse doesn't always give me good material to work with. I wish I could trade my muse in, but I can't. I'll try to wrap it up without a lot of filler and fluff and get back to the more normal storyline. Thank you to all of you who did follow me into this little side trip into the bizarre. I'll try not to let you down in my haste to get back on track.**_


	8. Chapter 47 Getting Dressed

**Chapter 47**

Tim stood where he was blocked from Lady Helga's view by Brody. He understood that she was helping them, but she was scary. At least he was dressed—sorta. He was grateful that his scars had earned him a shirt, or at least the back of a shirt. The front was more holes than fabric and there were no sleeves, but none of the other guys were going to have more. Commander Ford kept his scars too, but he had to go shirtless. For once, Tim was glad to have his back declared 'repulsive'. They'd all been told to take off their dog tags before coming and its absence made him feel strangely naked even with the shirt on. His leather pants were full-length and not that ridiculous bikini thing Lucas was wearing in his farewell video. Score one for snow white legs and hairy knees.

Tony had been given a bikini and a sleeveless jacket and he actually seemed to _like_ his costume. Okay, so Tim kinda liked his skin-tight leather pants. Not to wear in public, of course, or even to _admit_ he liked, but if Hitchcock didn't have any use for them after this (what was she going to do, donate them to AmVets?) he could see himself stashing them away to use on his honeymoon, behind a locked door. He'd wait until he heard Mary's reaction to the picture Wendy sent, but somewhere in the back of his mind he had to admit they did kind of make him feel sexy.

So far, he and Tony were the only ones in costume. Tony didn't have a role yet, but Tim did. He was glad he didn't have to act proud of his scars and pretend he'd enjoyed his beating. A birthday gift, of all things! That would have bothered him almost as much as calling the captain impotent. It wasn't much of a stretch to play the devoted charity case. He'd been rescued enough himself to have that role down pat. Why gratefulness had to take the form of lifelong servitude was a bit hard to fathom, but it wasn't too unlike the Navy. He could take orders and he could hold his tongue. He didn't have a problem with women in authority either.

Fact was, beyond the embarrassing costume and the weird cover roles, he was thrilled to be on the rescue team. Rescue-er, not rescue-ee. He'd worked hard with Will on his martial arts for six solid weeks and he felt pretty good about what he'd learned. Not only that, but his function as Transmitter was essential to the mission. Wendy could talk to Mary as long as Mary called first, but only Tim could _initiate_ contact in an emergency without any electronic aid. That was really important when Juno had a radio and Internex jammer.

"I think we need to dress the ladies," Lady Helga said. She waved her hands around at the men standing in their underwear. "You may pick out pants to wear for now, but we may change them later when we decide your roles. Watch the vid-disc I brought while you wait for us." She pointed to a small box on the coffee table. "It is labeled for the men."

Helga and Hitchcock started to lift the trunk that hadn't been opened yet.

"May we get that for you, ladies?" Ben asked. Tim wasn't sure who was included in 'we', but he wished he'd thought of making the offer.

"Oh, you are good little slave, Ben," Helga said. "You did not wait for us to be asking and you did not assume us incapable. Gold stars on your forehead."

"I aim to please," Ben said in his usual kiss-up, flirtatious tone. He hadn't changed a bit since his _seaQuest_ days.

Tony was standing the closest and he was already dressed, so he stepped in to help carry the trunk. Wendy and Dr. Westphalen followed the other two women into the largest stateroom. Ben and Tony made it out and the door shut behind them. A collective sigh of relief went up from all the men.

The captain just watched silently with a bemused look on his face. Sure, _he_ could laugh. _He_ wasn't having to wear these ridiculous get-ups. Tim busied himself preparing the vid-disc to play on the large screen on the wall. Just like the ones on _seaQuest_, they could route computer information or a vid-link call to the screen as well. Tim hadn't seen the galley or the navigation compartment, but from the lounge and the lavish stateroom where he'd dressed, he'd have to say this was the most luxurious private submarine he'd ever seen.

Brody and Ford had picked out something to wear and headed toward the stateroom furthest from where the four women had disappeared. Will and Ben were not far behind them. Tim couldn't help but wonder if leather bikinis were really an improvement over their underwear. Of course, it really didn't matter because Helga had ordained it and Tim didn't think anyone would dare cross her.

Tony was looking at the rest of the clothes in the trunk, almost like he was shopping or something. Tim sat in a chair perpendicular to the captain's. He was really curious what the captain was thinking about all this, but he didn't have the guts to ask. But the silence was kind of awkward, so he blurted out, "Mary is standing by to take your call at any time, sir. She also wanted me to tell you that she'll use the camera if you'll call her in private. She's not ready to have a bunch of people see her yet."

"That's fine, Tim. But tell me, how come you got engaged more than six weeks ago and I'm just now hearing about it?"

Tim shrugged. "I didn't mean to be secretive. I just didn't know how to bring it up. I mean, I still feel like it's gloating to tell people."

"Like you're the luckiest guy in the world, huh?"

"Yes sir."

He leaned closer and whispered, "You know you can call me 'Nathan' when I'm calling you Tim."

Tim shook his head. "No, I don't think I can."

"Why not?"

"For the same reason Lucas can't. It just doesn't _feel_ right." He hoped the captain would gather that he wasn't trying to keep professional distance. It was because he respected him _more_ than just as a commanding officer, not less. Tim wasn't really much older than Robert would have been, so it wasn't all that outrageous for him to think of the captain like a father, but maybe it was more like a mentor. He only knew it was deeper than mere friend or colleague. 'Nathan' was just too familiar and flippant. But after he'd spoken, he realized it could be taken as presumptuous. "Not that I'm saying I have the same relationship with you as Lucas does."

"No, I think I get what you mean. Both you and Lucas have used it to your advantage when you needed to and I'm comfortable if you are. So, do we need to get Mary into UEO intelligence? She should get a paycheck for all the help she's given us."

"You can ask her, sir, but she probably won't be interested. She wasn't too pleased with the way the UEO rounded up 'spyers' during the Avatar crisis."

"I wasn't either."

"She knows you're the one who told them how stupid that was." The captain gave him an odd look. "Oh, I didn't tell her. Dr. Smith did. I didn't even know her then." _That wasn't classified, was it?_ He hoped he hadn't got Wendy in trouble.

Commander Ford and Lieutenant Brody walked back into the room, both of them wearing the same black leather bikini thing that Tony had on, only they didn't have the vest jacket. They were both muscular guys who could have gotten away with that little covering if they were into competition swimming, but he'd seen both of them at the beach and in SCUBA gear. He knew they weren't any more comfortable than he was. However, they both seemed to be faking it really well.

"I think your wife needs a picture too, Jim," Bridger said. "Where's Wendy's camera?" Tim didn't think he was serious, but Brody's eyes got so big, it was downright hilarious. Tim bit his tongue to keep from laughing.

"I'm kidding," Bridger said. "You did tell her though, right?"

"Yes, I told her," Brody said stiffly. It sounded like that hadn't been a pleasant conversation. Maybe they'd fought. He definitely didn't want to discuss it.

Tim had told Mary while printing out copies of Lucas's ownership documents and running from the bridge to the ward room. Mary had felt so badly for Lucas and instantly agreed he should volunteer to help Hitchcock. Tim couldn't imagine how he might have felt if Mary had made him choose between her and Lucas.

"Good," the captain said, effectively ending the discussion. Brody looked relieved.

Will and Ben walked in, Ben dressed exactly like Ford and Brody, but Will wore what looked like red leather bike shorts.

"Hey, how did you get so much material?" Brody asked.

Will shrugged. "I liked the red. It's just for now anyway. Fraulein Helga will probably make me change."

Tim started the vid-disc and they all settled in to watch. It was obviously not a Hollywood production, more like home movies made from a hidden camera. It made him cringe to look at, but Tim knew it was necessary. He'd been to a lot of places all over the world, but Juno couldn't have been more foreign if it had been on another planet. Under different circumstances, he knew Ben and Tony would be cracking a joke a minute about all this, but either because the captain was there or because it finally dawned on them what they'd gotten themselves into, the clowns were eerily silent.

Every now and then, they heard giggling and assorted gleeful squeals from the ladies' changing room. He couldn't help but think it was an odd juxtaposition between the horror movie unfolding on the screen before their eyes and the women (who were soon to star in their own live version of said horror story) having so much fun dressing the part. Tim noticed more than one of his male friends shuddering from time to time. _They just don't have shirts on and it's getting cold in here._

The video was both completely terrifying and wholly engrossing, but they all kept their eyes glued to the screen like spectators gawking at a train wreck. Eventually, the captain got up and walked to the ladies' dressing room and knocked. Tim couldn't hear what was whispered back and forth in the small opening, nor could he see who answered the door. He did see the captain's face as he returned and he looked a little impatient.

"The ladies will be out in ten minutes," he announced over the scratchy soundtrack of the homemade video.

The men nodded to acknowledge that they'd heard him, none seemingly able to tear their itching eyeballs away from the gathering clouds of doom.

Tim hadn't looked at his watch when the captain made his announcement, but the ladies did make their exit very soon after that, probably well within the ten minutes. First to appear was Commander Hitchcock. She was dressed in ultra-shiny black vinyl from the neck down. Her skin-tight pants were scrunched seamlessly into shiny black ankle boots with gold toe caps and five inch stiletto heels. Her top was like a corset with gold lame laces cinching in her waist and enhancing her bustline. She even showed some cleavage. She wore a shiny vinyl jacket with short sleeves, but her arms were covered by long gloves in the same black vinyl, reaching almost to the ends of her sleeves. Large gold chandelier earrings added glimmer and a gold marine-link chain hung from her neck. Her hair was slicked back with some kind of wet-look gel and she had on cherry red lipstick and thick black mascara. Tim would have sworn she was walking a lot differently than she ever did on _seaQuest_.

"Whoa…Katie," Ben said.

Hitchcock smacked his back with what appeared to be a riding crop. It landed with a chilling crack. "That's Lady Katerina or ma'am to you," she barked, sounding so much like one of the women on the video that it was uncanny.

Ben gulped. "Yes, ma'am."

Next to make her debut was Wendy. She had on a leopard-print catsuit that wasn't made of leather. It was panne velvet, either that, or a really good imitation animal skin. It had a lush, furry look to it. Wendy had on spike heels that were made entirely of quarter-inch strips of brown leather, woven all the way up her ankle. The strips covered more than they revealed, but there was enough skin peeking through to look provocative. The suit appeared to be all one piece, and not quite as close-fitting as Hitchcock's clothes. The neckline was high enough to cover her cleavage, but not so high that she didn't have room for a necklace made of three-inch animal tusks with matching earrings. Wild boar, maybe. Her sleeves were long and she didn't wear gloves, but she had long artificial fingernails painted in a deep blood-red. Wendy's lipstick matched her nails and she sported a slicked-back hairstyle similar to Hitchcock's.

"You look hot, Doc," Tony said. "Er… Lady Wendy." He shrank back like he was expecting her to smack him.

She chuckled. "Actually, I'm going to tell people to call me Madam Lynx."

Madam Lynx cleared the runway for the final dominatrix makeover. The woman who emerged from the stateroom did not look anything like Dr. Westphalen. Tim had never thought she looked her age, but now, she somehow looked younger than ever before. Her outfit was deep red leather, similar in color to the bike shorts Will had chosen. It was a strapless dress that hugged her hips and ended about the same place as Uhura's on the 1960's Star Treks. She had thigh-high boots in matching red leather and the space on her legs between super-short skirt and the beginning of the boots was covered by black fishnet pantyhose. She wore long gloves like Hitchcock, hers red, of course. When she did a modeling spin, Tim could see that each boot, the back of her dress, and each glove were laced all the way down with black laces. Her bib necklace was fashioned to look like a four-inch black widow spider in black diamonds and garnets, set in black rhodium. Long dangle-fringe earrings of the same stones and metal hung from her ears. She wore unfamiliar lipstick and mascara, but the most striking feature was her hair. There was no way that was a wig. Her lovely waves had been cut… short. Her hair stopped at the base of her neck in the back and on top, it was only two inches tall, spiked straight up. Whatever hair cement they'd used, it didn't make her hair look wet or darker. It was the same fiery red, just holding a style that defied the laws of physics.

Tim turned to see the captain's reaction. His jaw dropped, but Tim couldn't decide what that meant. His mouth opened and shut a couple of times before he found his voice. "My God, Kristin, what did you _do_ to your hair?"

She smirked at him and planted her hands on her hips. "Is that all you can say? It's just hair, Nathan. It'll grow back. It was too long and thick to do it like Wendy's and Katie's. Without the haircut, I look a little too old to be serious. Besides, it's for _Lucas_."

"I beg to differ, Domina Scarlet," Lady Helga said. "The sexy hair makes less question, _ja_, but submissive men crave the mature women. You will likely have the most propositions of the three of you."

Bridger coughed. "Propositions? I thought everyone had owners on Juno."

"_Ja_, but there is always the buying and selling. A slave who is washing dishes dreams of being the personal valet and so he tries to gain the favor of a mistress who will buy him and give him the better job. One looking to be sold will flirt with you. You must punish this, of course, but that is what they like."

The captain shook his finger at his wife. "You had better not be buying anybody but Lucas," he mock-scolded her.

She batted her heavily mascara-ed lashes and flashed her angelic 'who?-little-ol-me' smile. "You never know what I'll bring back when I'm on shore leave."

The captain laughed and was soon joined by everyone in the room. This whole thing was so absurd, yet here they all were.

Bridger stood. "Wendy, can I borrow your camera?"

She raised a brow at him and then nodded. "Sure, Captain." She handed him the pocket-sized device.

Domina Scarlet scowled at him. "Hey, didn't you say no pictures?"

"And I made an exception, didn't I?"

The red leather lady removed her hands from her hips and crossed them over her chest. "Tim agreed, but I _don't_ unless _you_ dress up too." She stared at him, all self-satisfied and smug.

"You're on, _Scarlet_," the captain said. He grabbed something off the top of the trunkful of men's clothing, held it in the same hand as the camera, snatched his utterly stunned wife's leather-gloved hand, and dragged her off to one of the staterooms.

The men left behind cheered almost as loudly as they had at his wedding. Hitchcock, Wendy, and Helga clapped and cheered too. It wasn't the kind of thing one saw from Captain Bridger very often, but he had to know no one else would dare to ever speak about this because they'd have to admit what _they_ wore.

"We will wait for them, to proceed," Helga said.

Someone had frozen the video when the women emerged, but Tim turned it back on to discourage people from trying to eavesdrop on the married couple in their impromptu boudoir session. It was hard to miss Scarlet's laughter though.

"Is this what it's really like?" Lady Katerina asked, pointing at the screen.

"_Ja_," Helga replied, whispering so that others could hear the video. "This is footage taken with hidden camera at one of the popular coffee houses. It is called 'Beaten and Whipped'. Best mocha frappé in the world. You should go there. Tell Lady Belladonna that I sent you."

"How openly can we ask about Lucas?" Madam Lynx whispered.

"I have been giving much thought to this," Helga said. "But we wait for Domina Scarlet to give instruction."

Lynx/Wendy nodded and returned her attention to the vid-screen. Tim had seen enough of the train wreck and decided instead to take his chances practicing a little German. Using the most groveling phraseology he knew, he whispered his thanks to Fraulein Helga for coming and helping them. She seemed delighted that he knew more German than '_jetzt_' and readily engaged him in whispered conversation. She asked about his fiancée and his work on _seaQuest_, and how long he had known Hitchcock. Tim told her everything she wanted to know, mainly because he had a burning question he wanted to ask and he was working up the guts to spit it out.

She somehow sensed his reluctance and guessed what was on his mind. "You want to know how I know all this about Juno and the lifestyle, don't you?" she asked in German.

Tim gulped and nodded.

"I was professional dominatrix," she said. "_Not_ prostitute. I did not have sex with my clients. I fulfilled fantasies for men who paid me to play roles and be actress. You would be surprised how many did not wish to be whipped or humiliated, but just talked to and petted."

Tim couldn't help his eyes widening at her word choice.

She chuckled. "On their _hair_," she added, reaching over to run her fingers through his.

Tim felt his cheeks heat up. _I am such a moron._

"Your innocence is very attractive," she said frankly. "Your fiancée is lucky girl."

If his cheeks were warm before, now they were on fire. Why had he never had these types of conversations with women before? Then again, he didn't know any other dominatrices. Besides, before Mary, he probably would have been too insecure to engage one in conversation even if he did.

Buoyed by her compliment and trusting her to keep their conversation in German, he asked, "If I was, you know, uh… going to get my wife something for our honeymoon, like what Wen—Madam Lynx is wearing, in a size for a larger woman, where should I go?"

"Try Internex," she whispered, winking covertly.

Wendy heard her cover name and looked at Tim. He knew he could trust her, but he really didn't trust Tony or Ben or anyone else that might overhear, so he whispered to her in French that he was honeymoon shopping for Mary. She chuckled and went back to watching the video.

Tim thanked Helga and wrapped up the conversation. He probably should pay more attention to his cover research. But once Helga was no longer distracted, she grew bored with the video herself. She stood. "All right, boys, time for kneeling practice," she announced.

With varying degrees of swiftness and groaning, the men vacated their chairs and knelt on the floor. Lynx smacked Tony's butt and Katerina whacked Ben with her crop. Helga slapped Brody, but Tim didn't see where.

"You should be thankful this is nice carpeting," Helga said. "On Juno, you will find many places with hard floors or outside, on concrete. This is hard pose to hold, I know, but you must learn it or suffer consequences."

"I think I like the consequences better," Tony remarked.

Helga held out her hand to Katerina, who passed the crop. Helga passed it to Lynx, who hit Tony three sharp snaps on the back. Tim cringed and shuddered at the sound he remembered only too well.

Tony, however, acted just like some of the guys on that video, rolling his eyes back in his head like he was in ecstasy or something. He even hummed, "Mmmm," to complete the picture.

"Oh you are most adorable, Shortcake," Helga gushed. "We must be sure your mistress gets crop to beat you with."

"Oooo, I can hardly wait, Lady Helga," he said. However, Commander Ford and Lieutenant Brody were staring at him with such dumbstruck looks that he gave a sheepish smile. "Acting the part, Commander," he explained.

Nobody questioned it. Whether he was actually enjoying the acting or not was irrelevant. He _was_ doing a great job.

The doctor and the captain emerged from the stateroom. Domina Scarlet had on a little less lipstick and Captain Bridger had some barely-there smudges in the same shade on his cheek. He tossed Wendy the camera. "Thank you, Doctor. You've got exceptionally fast uploads on your email app."

"It's Katie's satellite Internex provider. The picture of Tim would have taken twice as long on _seaQuest_."

"You hear that, Commander? You're luring my crew into defecting," he joked.

"We could get faster email uploads on _seaQuest_ if we just quit running vid-link, radio, computer navigation, and sonar," Tim offered, tongue-in-cheek.

Bridger didn't let him win that easily. "Oh, is that all? We wouldn't have to shut down life-support?"

"For Miguel, it might be more humane if we did."

This joke made everyone but Helga laugh, although she soon joined in, probably laughing because of the rarity of Katerina's laughter. "Katie, I see why you went back to Navy. These are good people."

"No argument here," she said just as soon as she got over her own laughing. "But I think it's time we got our roles settled. Ben is mine," she said, rather possessively, Tim thought. She would likely claim it was because she didn't want to burden one of the doctors with him, but Tim didn't think that was the whole reason. "Who else should be with me?"

"Much as I think I would be the type to rescue Tim and save him from the evil abuser," Lynx said, "he and I should split up to maximize our telepathic advantage."

Katerina looked at Lynx. "The captain and I think Jim and Tony might like to go with you, Doc. They don't know me at all and they haven't known Dr. Westphalen very long. This mission requires a helluva lot of trust as it is without asking them to trust someone they hardly know."

"Jim? Tony? What do you think?" Lynx asked.

"Fine with me," Brody said.

Tony took a deep breath. "Anyone willing to do all this for Lucas is okay by me. I'll go with Dr. Smith if you want, but I'm cool with Dr. Westphalen and you, too, Commander."

"Okay," Katerina said. "So all that's decided is that Tim needs to be with me or Kristin, Ben is for sure with me, and Jim is with Wendy. How else do we decide?"

Helga motioned for the ladies and the captain to sit. "Boys, you stay on your knees. It is good practice. But for now, let us drop the roleplay and ask for everyone to be honest. There can be no reprisals. Say what you really think about one another when you see the costumes."

"Well," Lynx Smith said. "I'm a little disappointed that you guys didn't get more creative. Jim, Jonathan, and Ben all look alike. At least Will tried a little color."

"We thought it was just temporary," Ben said. "Helga was supposed to dress us."

"All right, Ben," Helga said. "What would you wear if it was _your_ choice?"

Ben sighed. "To tell the truth, I was kinda hoping _Katie_ would dress me. I mean, she's going to own me, shouldn't I fit _her_ taste?"

Helga turned to Katerina. "Would you like to choose his clothes?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like that." She got out of her chair and went to the trunk.

"Yes, this is progress," Helga said. "You, what is your name?" she asked Ford.

"Jonathan," he said.

"Jonathan, your lovely dark skin would be very prized among Juno women. No one would allow you to wear black clothes because it just blends in. We want a contrast, to show off your natural features. Do you have another color you wish to wear?"

Ford shrugged. He was probably having the hardest time of anyone getting into the spirit of all this. "Doesn't matter to me."

"Does anyone else wish to dress Jonathan?" Helga asked.

"Pink poodle skirt," Brody piped in.

Helga and Jonathan both gave him a sharp look.

Katerina held up a metallic-gold spandex bike shorts. "How about this, Jonathan? A little more coverage, nice contrast with your skin."

"I think it's better than what I've got on," Ford said evenly.

Katerina tossed the gold shorts to land right in front of him.

"The men in the video had more than just shorts and pants," Scarlet Westphalen pointed out. "They had _bling_."

The captain gave her a strange look. "_Bling?_ Since when do you use antiquated jargon?"

"I bought plenty of bling," Katerina Hitchcock said. "Mostly silver and stainless, but Jonathan should have gold to match his shorts."

"Katie," Helga said. "Do you realize you are dressing Jonathan to match yourself?"

She looked shocked for a second, but then shrugged. She looked at Ford as she explained, "I was planning to beg the captain to let me take you before Ben volunteered. I guess I always assumed you'd go with me."

"Can you play the sadist who beat him for his birthday?" Helga asked.

"Let me answer that," Ben said. "Yes, she can. Kristin could verbally abuse him, but she's pretty soft under the shell."

Katerina glared at Ben. "And _I'm_ not, is that what you're saying?"

Ford finally spoke up. "I think what he's saying, Katie, is that you can play this particular _role_ better than any of the others here. I think Ben's right. Unless we're going to change my story to be like Tim's, I should be with you."

Hitchcock looked like she couldn't decide whether to be insulted or flattered. But if Jonathan Ford was agreeing with Ben Krieg, it was a pretty big deal.

If Katerina had Krieg and Ford and Tim couldn't go with Wendy, then his owner was decided by process of elimination. "That puts me with Domina Scarlet."

"And how do you feel about that?" Helga asked. It didn't sound like Helga was going to force the matching if Tim had objections. Nothing was set in stone.

"I could see her rescuing me from an abuser, even if she had to punch someone's lights out to do it." _Or fire torpedoes._ He didn't mention that, because it was still classified. Rumor had it that she'd even pointed a gun at Ruben Zellar. Dr. Westphalen had always been a force to be reckoned with. And right now, she was like a mama bear looking for her stolen cub. He wanted to say he thought she looked young and sexy too, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it with the captain in the room and with his fiancée's best friend listening. "Oh, and Domina Scarlet, I like the haircut."

"Why, thank you, Tim." She smiled at him while elbowing her husband in the ribs.

"Is there a meaning to choosing the Scarlet name, aside from the color?" Helga asked. "Do you fancy yourself Scarlet O'Hara or perhaps you like Nathaniel Hawthorne?"

"Scarlet fever!" Tony guessed. "Cuz she's a doctor."

"Actually, you're all wrong. I was thinking _Miss_ Scarlet."

Everyone gave her blank looks.

"Come now, don't you play Clue? Miss Scarlet, in the kitchen, with the lead pipe." Her voice got dark and deadly serious. "As in, if I find the woman who did this to Lucas, she'd better not stray into my kitchen."

"Tim, try to keep her from killing anybody," the captain said.

"Aye, sir."

Helga looked around. "So who is left? Shortcake and the handsome Asian. Shortcake said either doctor was fine with him. How about you?" She scrutinized Will.

"I've only known Dr. Smith for six weeks, but I trust her with my life. Her cover role seems a little less hard-core than Dr. Westphalen's, and I'm not as good at this drama as Piccolo is. If it's all the same, I'd like to go with Dr. Smith."

Helga clapped her hands together once. "Ah. It is all settled then. You should get together and choose names for the boys, and dress them accordingly."

Tim and Tony were both dressed already. How ironic was it that the two with the most clothing ended up with the mistress wearing the least? Domina Scarlet found some 'bling' in another trunk, and she pulled out the hair gel. Tim and Tony both got the wet look, slicked back, and she put gunmetal hoops in their left earlobes. At first, Tim thought she was going to pierce his ear, but the earrings had little spring-loaded plungers that held on by pressure. It was a little uncomfortable, but probably not as bad as getting a hole punched. Or as lasting. Tim really didn't want to explain to anyone else why he had a hole in his ear. Tony also got a gunmetal chain necklace. His chest was bare, so the necklace made sense on him. Tim had the funky lattice strip thing going on, so a necklace would have been lost. Or so he assumed. Scarlet dug up something and hid it from view. "Come here, Tim." She curled her finger in beckoning.

Tim didn't like the feel of this, but he'd better get used to taking some very uncomfortable orders. He swallowed hard and approached.

She pointed with an index and twirled her hand to indicate that she wanted him to turn around. He did it without making a face or saying anything. He didn't see it going on, but in seconds, he felt leather around his neck. She buckled it loose enough that he could breathe just fine, but the humiliation was nearly overwhelming. _Lucas, you had better appreciate this._ He turned around so Scarlet could evaluate. He hoped with all his might that she hated it.

She patted his cheek in sympathy. "If I can wear five-inch heels, you can wear the dog collar."

He pulled himself together and tried to sound neutral. "So it looks good then?"

She leaned in and whispered, "Very sexy."

He was certain he was blushing when he nodded. They were all sharing a couple of hand mirrors, and Tim finally caught a look. The leather collar was studded with little stainless steel domes. He was relieved it wasn't spikes because those seemed like one could hurt oneself if the shoulder drifted up into the neck. And although his initial feelings of degradation hadn't faded, it did enter his mind after the doctor declared it sexy that maybe Mary might like it too. Egads, what was he thinking? He didn't want another picture taken, but the next time he saw her, she'd read his mind and know everything. He was going to need to bump up his psych sessions with Wendy when this was all over.

Helga walked between the three teams, offering suggestions and helping as needed. When they were all done, Tim got a look at the other guys:

Ford had on gold bike shorts and a gold marine-link chain even longer than Hitchcock's. He also wore a gold hoop earring. They'd also put six-inch wide bracers around his wrists. They were brown leather that practically disappeared on his skin, but they were studded with tons of brass studs. Katerina named him Ebony.

Brody wore the black leather bikini and a black leather harness-thing on his chest. He also wore a leather collar with no studs. His head was completely covered by a contraption that looked like a leather ski mask. About the best thing Tim could say about it was that nobody would ever recognize him, including Lucas. His code name was Skippy.

Will had changed out of the red bike shorts and now wore full length pants, like Tim's. His were printed with orange and black tiger stripes. He also had a brown leather harness on, but his had a lot more leather strips than Brody's. Come to think of it, his chest was probably more covered than Tim's was, although Will's back was a lot more bare. Madam Lynx named him Tiger.

Ben had on shiny black vinyl, like his mistress. His shorts were about the length and style of boxers. Shiny suspenders crossed in front and went over his shoulders. Just above where the suspenders crossed, there was a short length of fine gold chain suspended in a shallow arc and ending at his bare nipples. It looked for all the world like Katerina had pierced him, but Tim hoped those hoops were spring-loaded like the one on his ear. If that was a real piercing, he wondered why he hadn't heard Ben protest. Ben had on a shiny vinyl collar with brass studs and a head harness thing made of more shiny black vinyl. Katerina named him Bootlicker.

"And what did you name your pets?" Helga asked Domina Scarlet.

"I like Shortcake for Tony. That suits him well. Tim is my loyal Puppy."

* * *

**_Author Note: Well, I must say I was pleasantly suprised with the passionate response I got to the suggestion that I cut this short. I admit that I am having a lot of fun writing this little subplot and probably won't cut as much as I had intended when I posted the last chapter. Thank you all for your encouraging words. It really does help me continue._**


	9. Chapter 48 The Briefing

**Chapter 48**

Nathan sat back and let Helga run the show. He was out clearly of his element, as were all his crew, with the possible exception of Piccolo. He wasn't about to ask Hitchcock where she found this friend of hers, but they'd all be lost without her. Never in a million years could they have found costumes like this and put them together on their own. Never. Kristin had cut her hair, but Ben had gone even further. Yes, he had Dr. Smith anesthetize him and perform the actual piercing, but _damn_, that was _commitment_. Helga had tried the spring-loaded fake hoops, but then she demonstrated how easily one little pull of the chain would ruin the illusion.

"Bootlicker, this is not like earring which is for looks only. These are to give women invitation. It is like neon sign saying 'grab me'. You want to make movie, you use fake and no one knows. But if you walk among them? You ask them to expose you."

"Oh, what the hell. Just do it for real then."

"Ben!" Hitchcock said with more feeling than Nathan could ever remember her directing at her ex-husband, "You don't have to go that far."

"Yes I do. You said yourself that the outfit looked incomplete."

"Fine, so let's change your clothes then."

"Katie, do you think this is going to hurt any more than you smacking me repeatedly with that crop you're so fond of?"

"You know I don't _mean_ that. It's part of the cover."

"Exactly. Pain is part of the cover and I volunteered for this. I'm not going into Juno with some half-assed disguise. If a couple of needle pricks are going to give people less reason to doubt, then let's do it now while we've got two doctors in the room."

She kissed him, right on the lips. Nathan wasn't sure if it was Hitchcock or Katerina, but it evidently didn't matter to Ben. It was a pretty long kiss and when she finally pulled back, he sighed. It was his wisecracking voice that said, "If I'd known you felt that way about piercing, we should do my eyebrows and nose while we're at it."

His comment earned him a shove, but Katie's smirk betrayed that she wasn't really mad. _It's the costumes_. Nathan had only worn one for a few minutes to get a few pictures of Kristin, and _his_ little brush with leather had made _him_ do strange things.

Kristin was busy accessorizing Tim and Tony (and having more fun doing it than she would ever admit), so Katie asked Wendy to take care of Ben's request. She had brought a medical kit and it was just a matter of two hypospray hits and two simple insertions of piercing hoops and it was done. Ben didn't even cringe. However, Nathan was very glad he wasn't going to be around when his numbness wore off.

The teams had been decided and everyone was dressed and had adopted new names, but Helga wanted to lecture her students. The men knelt on the floor while the ladies sat on the chairs; Kristin sat beside Nathan on a loveseat. Helga took a chair opposite all of them so she could see everyone.

"One thing you must understand," Helga said, "is that Juno residents are not all cookie-cut-outs. There is much diversity in the lifestyle. You must not assume that every woman is sadist. There are actually few women who derive pleasure from inflicting pain. Most _do not mind_, and do it because they know the males enjoy receiving it, but it is not for their own gratification, you understand?"

"Like a normal girl would sit through a baseball game in order to make her date happy?" Wendy asked.

Helga nodded. "_Ja_. But you must not say 'normal', Madam Lynx. That implies they are abnormal, which is insult. They call the people outside of their lifestyle 'vanilla'. The vanilla woman sits at baseball game because she knows her date enjoys this. The dominate woman may likewise spank a submissive man because she knows he likes, even if it is not her jollies. The Domme may be more excited about having the males kiss her feet or she may like the tying up or verbal humiliation. There is much variation."

Wendy grinned. "So I don't have to pretend I enjoy…" her hand flew into Brody's cheek loudly, "smacking Skippy like this?"

Helga laughed. "I do not think you pretend to begin with. But does the vanilla pretend to like the baseball? Of course. It is not burden to abide easy things. It is sharing. It is give and take. But you seem disingenuous if you say you like everything. Some women detest the baseball and do not attend the games. They go to the war movie instead. If relationship is consensual, then they talk about limits when they are alone. Some Dommes will spank hard enough to leave bruises, but they refuse to draw blood." She looked at Kristin, perhaps as a suggestion to adopt that idea into her cover.

"You, Madam Lynx, you could be motherly type, less pain and more nurturing. Skippy and Tiger are wayward teens who need strong hand." She looked at Brody and Shan, kneeling on either side of Wendy's feet. "You need guidance and tiny discipline…" She put her thumb and forefinger together, less than a centimeter apart. "But you are not willful brats, like Shortcake. You accept Lynx's training slaps because she likes to lead you on leash and stroke your back and hair and that is big turn-on for you."

Wendy started running her fingers through Shan's hair. Brody's hair was covered by his costume, so Wendy stroked his bare back. While Nathan couldn't see his officer's faces, he would bet they were shuddering inside. But was it any worse than wearing embarrassing clothes or getting hit with a crop? Definitely not as bad as Ben's predicament.

"_This_ is a turn-on?" Shan asked. His tone made clear he didn't think so.

Helga smiled down at him. "Tiger, there is perhaps some other part of your anatomy that Lynx could touch that _would_ be turn-on."

Shan wisely said nothing.

"Just pretend it is _that_ part."

"What about sex?" Kristin blurted out.

"No," Nathan answered sharply. Everyone chuckled and he got another elbow in the side for this.

"That's kind of my point though. How are we going to explain it if we're not hopping into bed all the time?"

"You assume that is what _they_ do," Helga observed.

"Don't they?" Hitchcock asked. "Isn't this _all_ about sex?"

Helga shrugged. "For some. For others it is _alternative_ to sex. The BDSM and power exchange is end in itself, not always foreplay. The women tease and deny the men, often for months or even years. Many Dommes are not interested in intercourse and they have set up society where their desires reign supreme, not those of men."

"You're kidding," Krieg said incredulously, probably trying to lighten the mood.

"Not at all." Helga was dead serious. "Do we not know this? Is it not true that women in general population would rather cuddle or have deep conversation? I have heard among vanillas that 'women tolerate sex to get romance while the men tolerate romance to get the sex'."

"I don't just _tolerate_ sex," Kristin said indignantly.

Nathan cleared his throat. Was it getting warm in here?

"I am sorry," Helga said. "I do not mean to be sweeping with generalization. Everyone is individual in both worlds. More women claim to be the tease than probably are, so it is of no concern if you claim the same. Remember, _they_ are always acting, too, so they will not notice that you are."

Nathan waited until there was sufficient lull before he ventured to speak. "I'm worried about how you plan to get in. _Governor_ Nelson made it abundantly clear to me that visitors were not welcome."

Helga nodded. "This is good point, Captain. But one does not _sneak_ into Juno. They use bio-scans and radiation on all cargo. People have died trying to smuggle in or out. Katerina will be accepted because I will recommend her. I am trusted friend of residents. Katerina and her party will be _V.I.P._ _guests_. There is no fraud if you use real passport."

"Helga, my passport doesn't say Domina Scarlet," Kristin said. "What was the point of making up a cover if I'm going in as myself?"

"Because it is accepted part of Juno to create the persona and use stage name. They would be more suspicious of passport saying Lynx or Scarlet. If you moved there, they would allow you to use stage name as legal for documents, but guests are expected to use old ways."

"Wait. 'Moved there'? Who said anything about moving there?" Wendy asked.

Helga smiled. "Why else would they allow three very rich women to be guests? You are prospective new colonists."

"I hate to tell you this, Helga, but just because I'm a doctor, doesn't mean I'm rich," Kristin said. She looked around the room. "I mean, not in the monetary sense. I spent the last few years working at a street clinic in a slum."

"And then you married rich captain who has private island and half ownership in big company."

Kristin coughed. "You want me to _admit_ I'm married to the captain of the _seaQuest_, but I'm running around in this ridiculous outfit, playing with…" she waved her arms around in exasperation, "with… with… _pets_?"

Helga smiled and nodded. "Yes. Remember, Juno women think men are weak. They will not be surprised you should marry wealthy man who is at sea for months at a time, leaving you free to play as you wish. Is this not true, Captain? Did Diana speak to you as if you were wise or competent, or as to a moron?"

Nathan cleared his throat. "She treated me as irrelevant."

"You see?" Helga swept an open hand toward Kristin. "They will count you clever and shrewd to take advantage of puffed-up, irrelevant male who sits on submarine, looking for big crocodiles." She looked back at Nathan. "This is just story, you understand, Captain. It is not I who deem you irrelevant."

He waved away her apology. "I understand." He was actually quite gratified to use Diana Nelson's prejudices against her. He was also impressed that Helga had paid attention to the minor details of Lucas's video, and the radio conversations about the crocodiles. This woman was a good observer.

"Well, I'm not rich either," Wendy said.

"I'll take care of that, Doc," Katie said. "I need to transfer funds to both of you, not only so you have money to throw around and loosen lips, but in case one of you gets a chance to buy Lucas."

"If they look at bank records, they'll know when the money went in," Wendy argued.

Tim coughed and raised his hand. Helga looked pleased that he waited his turn. She called on him like some schoolboy. "Yes, Puppy?"

"Uh, I don't know how far you want to go with this, Commander, but Lucas has contacts on Node 3. He told me a long time ago that they could fudge bank records to say anything we want."

"You know how to get ahold of his contacts, Tim?" Nathan asked.

"He _gave_ me his computer, Captain. Wouldn't he want me to use it to help him?"

Nathan turned to Hitchcock. "You brought it with you?"

Katie nodded. "Ben took it by Tim's quarters when we got here."

"And I left it there because I didn't think I could take it to Juno."

"Go ahead and get it," Kristin whispered to Tim. "We'll leave it on the _Splendor_, or I'll hold onto it."

"Now?" Tim was looking down at his costume.

"I'll go get it, if it's all right with you, Lieutenant," Nathan offered. If Tim left, they'd have to wait for him to change clothes, run the errand, and change back again. They could continue the briefing with no loss of time if Nathan slipped out.

Tim sighed relief. "It's on my desk, Captain, thanks."

Nathan made sure he blocked as much of the circular opening as possible when he opened the docking hatch again. Only one seaman stood guard in the hallway. He saluted when he saw his captain. Nathan saluted back and closed _seaQuest_'s hatch opening behind him. Ordering the guard to keep anyone from looking in would be odd enough to cause curiosity, but without orders, the fancy civilian submarine alone was just begging to be peeked at.

He walked briskly to O'Neill's quarters and found the computer right where Tim said it would be. Of course, Tim's quarters were second only to Ford's in being neat and orderly, so he probably could have found it without direction. Seeing Lucas's computer brought a lump to his throat that he hadn't expected. Beyond Juno being a slave colony, there was no way Lucas would ever willingly go somewhere that he couldn't have a computer. It was like asking him to go without an eyeball or a limb.

Nathan spared no time on sentiment. He grabbed the computer and dashed out, then headed back to the docking collar. However, his PAL beeped while he was on the mag-lev. "Bridger here," he said into the device.

"Captain, Admiral Noyce is calling," Ortiz reported.

Why did Bill always call at the most inconvenient times? He heaved his sigh _before_ he pressed the button to transmit his answer. "Thank you, Mr. Ortiz. Please route it to my quarters and tell him it'll take me a minute to get there."

"Aye, sir."

He could have routed it to _Splendor_. The frequency was already in _seaQuest_'s databanks because Krieg had called en route to get cleared for docking. But he could just imagine the panic on _Splendor_ if the vid-link indicator lit up. No one on that submarine would want to talk to Noyce the way they were dressed, nor would they even want to be in the same room if he took the call there. He'd left them so that the briefing wouldn't be interrupted, so he had to take Bill's call somewhere else. He stopped the mag-lev and reversed it, taking a small detour back to his quarters.

Noyce looked red in the face and not pleased to have been asked to wait. "Nathan, do you have any idea where your business partner is?"

"Well, hello to you, too, Bill. And if you mean Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock, yes, I know exactly where she is."

"Her jet copter appears to have been abandoned in Cape Town, South Africa, but unless you're doctoring logs, none of your launches have been sent there."

"Doctoring logs? Bill, how long have you known me?"

"Long enough to know you'll stop at nothing to get Wolenczak back."

True, but he'd do it openly and damn the consequences, not hide like that. "Why are you tracking her jet copter and checking my logs anyway?"

"She's designing a very advanced submarine on _our_ base in Pearl, remember? If someone gets their hands on both her _and_ Wolenczak…" He didn't finish, but Nathan understood the implication.

"I'm glad you recognize how valuable Lucas is to the UEO, Admiral. Hitchcock is safe. I saw her five minutes ago."

"Well, that's a relief. As for Lucas, of course he's valuable, but there's nothing I can do when he signed papers and he claimed with his own mouth that he went willingly."

"It was made under duress and we both know it."

"I'm not denying that, but it's nothing we can prove, and certainly nothing I can use against that infernal, condescending…" His mouth opened and closed, like he couldn't come up with an insult strong enough. "…Governor Nelson. She keeps calling me to complain about _you_, you know. If she calls me one more time to ask if there isn't a female admiral she can bitch at, I'm putting you on a one-way shuttle to her man-trap colony and _leaving_ you there!"

"I'll take that as your permission to make a little unannounced visit then. Thank you."

"I didn't say that!"

"Peacocking back and forth by vid-link isn't getting us anywhere. Hitchcock has a private submarine, and anyone who _might_ be inclined to go for a little ride with her—oh, somewhere in the _Mozambique Basin_, for example—would have to do it on their own time."

"Kristin?"

"Not that I'm saying _anyone_ is going _anywhere_, but you know I couldn't stop her if she wanted to go."

"She's your _wife_, for heaven sake!"

_Oh, really? Gee, the wedding must have slipped my mind_. "Well, in case _you_ haven't noticed, she doesn't take orders from me, or you, or anyone else. However, I happen to think she'd be a helluva lot more likely to successfully execute a rescue than any men we might _theoretically_ try to send over there."

"You've got a plan?"

"No, Admiral. I swear I haven't made any plans at all." This was not a lie. Helga and Katie were making all the plans. He _knew_ about them, but that wasn't the same as _making_ them.

"Hitchcock then."

Nathan looked into his friend's eyes and hesitated long enough to let Bill know this mission that didn't exist was in extremely capable hands. "Hitchcock just docked here to leave off some of Lucas's personal effects." He lifted up the computer so it could be seen on vid-link.

Bill nodded with understanding in his eyes. "Don't say another word."

"May I continue the Deinosuchus search?"

"Unless something else comes up."

"Thank you, Admiral."

"You tell Kristin I said be careful and good luck."

"Good luck with what?"

"She'll know what I mean." He pressed a button and the UEO trident came up on the screen.

"Yeah, she'll know what you mean," Nathan said softly as he jogged out the door.

He opened the _seaQuest_ docking seal, called inside, "Permission to board?" half out of habit and half to let everyone hear his voice so they wouldn't panic at the hatch opening.

"Come, Captain," Hitchcock called.

He walked through and closed the hatch on the _Splendor_ side again. Back in the lounge, he handed Lucas's computer to O'Neill, who was still kneeling on the floor. No one appeared to have moved. He wondered if anyone had any feeling left in their knees after all this time.

"Admiral Noyce says that anyone who _might_ be taking a little _pleasure cruise_ out to the Mozambique Basin, should probably be careful and he wishes them good luck," Nathan paraphrased and adapted Bill's blessing.

"You _told_ him what we were doing?" Ford asked as if they were plotting the overthrow of some superpower.

"Relax, Commander. He thought Hitchcock had been kidnapped. I set his mind at ease and told her she just got a new submarine she's trying out. I mentioned that Kristin might be interested in a little ride, but no one else's name came up."

"You're sending five men and two women to one of the most infamous colonies in the world, and all you mentioned was _me_?" Kristin asked.

"_I'm_ not sending anybody anywhere. If any of you are having second thoughts or you're at all ambivalent, speak up, and I'll gladly revoke your leave."

No one said a word. Those that made eye contact shook their heads.

"That's what I thought. This isn't _my_ operation." His gaze rested on Hitchcock. "Both Admiral Noyce and I have complete confidence in _your_ leadership, whether you're wearing a navy uniform or not." He retook his seat beside Kristin and looked at their instructor. "I apologize for the interruption, Lady Helga."

She chuckled lightly. "Oh, it was worth it to get blessing from Admiral Ignorance."

"He doesn't want to know more or he'd be obligated to stop us."

"Then he is wise. We have been discussing Juno's currency and economy in your absence. Katerina was dismayed to learn that if Lucas is auctioned publicly, non-residents are forbidden to participate."

"What? I thought we were arranging bank accounts so we could purchase his freedom in a way they'd consider legal."

"That's still our plan, Captain," Hitchcock said. "If we can get his owner to sell him privately, there's no restriction against making a purchase, just against bidding in the auction. But even if we can't bid, attending the auctions may be the easiest way to find him. We watch who wins and then we go to the new owner privately and negotiate."

"Good plan," Nathan said. "Do you have a backup if the owner isn't willing to part with him?"

"Possibly."

"'_Possibly_'?"

Kristin took his hand. "You don't want to know, Nathan. Trust me."

"Let me make one thing clear: Lucas is special to all of us, but I am _not_ willing to trade any other person's life or liberty to gain his. You're already sacrificing dignity and I don't doubt there's going to be some pain involved." He cast a glance at Ben. "By the way, how's that numbing agent holding up, Mr. Krieg?" Ben just nodded and gave a thumb's up. "I don't care how much money it takes. I don't care how much time it takes. But I want every single one of you back, in one piece. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," the room chorused.

"Good. Everyone has a price. If Lucas can be bought, then he can be sold. Let's hope they let us do this the easy way."

"Easy, he says!" Helga exclaimed good-naturedly. "You did not do all the shopping for the costumes!"

"You're right, we never could have done this without you. I know you are doing this for Hitchcock, but allow me to add my personal thanks." Nathan extended his hand to her.

She took his hand from above, and then added her other hand below it to sandwich his hand in both of hers. "Captain, it is true I owe Katie a favor and I am happy to pay her what I owe, but I would do this even if I did not, for your precious Lucas. Humans are not property to be bought and sold like this. Juno gives bad name to decent Dommes who do not wish to hurt anyone."

* * *

**_Author's Note: I don't know any real-life dominatrices, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't have the guts to ask anything about it, so I did research for this chapter on the internet. Any descrepancies with actual BDSM practices may be attributed to bad sources and/or fictional license, especially since this is in the future. Who knows what could evolve in 13 years?_**


	10. Chapter 49 Splendor Underway

**Chapter 49**

Between dressing up and instructions from Helga, _Splendor_ spent three hours docked to _seaQuest_. Helga offered to come with them, and Katie found it tempting, but Helga had told her in New York that she had enemies as well as friends at Juno. There was no need to risk any sort of altercation. If Helga were expelled, Katie would have to evacuate all nine of them and leave Lucas behind. She had sworn to Bridger that she wouldn't leave without him and she was determined not to break that promise. So Helga gave her a huge stack of Juno vid-discs to watch on the way, while she stayed behind on _seaQuest_.

Katie still couldn't believe how many people had volunteered to go on this mission and what sacrifices they were willing to make. Dr. Westphalen cut so much of her hair that Katie thought Bridger was going to have a stroke. And how anyone who had been beaten like Jonathan and Tim could even consider going someplace where beating was a spectator sport was beyond her. Then Ben volunteering to get himself pierced like that? _Insane_. Katie didn't particularly like the "jewelry" itself, but Ben's willingness to do it made him very attractive. Somehow, she would find a way after all this was over to tell him just how proud she was of him.

Tim found Lucas's list of contacts and emailed wolfman at node3 dot net. It turned out this was Nick, one of the two non-_seaQuest_ friends who'd come to Lucas's birthday party. Tony and Ben both believed he was probably the best one to trust with their little banking hack job. Once he heard Lucas was in trouble, Nick called _Splendor_ on a secure vid-link line. Katie took the call in one of the staterooms, _without_ changing clothes. If Nick had any propensity to blab, she wanted to scare it right out of him. Her Navy uniform might have done the job, but her dominatrix costume was even better. She looked bad-ass in this explosion of skin-tight, shiny vinyl. And Ben was right; she knew how to intimidate. This Nick character might be Lucas's friend, but she was going to give him access to her bank accounts. He needed to be convinced that she would hunt him down and make his life a living hell if he ever took advantage of the trust she was bestowing on him.

"You're Nick, right?"

The guy didn't look much older than Lucas. He sized up the scary woman staring back at him, gulped, and nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock from the UEO Navy. Has Lucas ever mentioned me? He might have called me Katie."

"I think he said you were on _seaQuest_. I saw you at his birthday party too, but you looked…_ different_ then."

No kidding. "Lucas has been kidnapped and pressed into slavery on Juno Colony. Are you familiar with them?"

Nick frowned. "That explains why he hasn't been online. Yeah, I know about Juno. Most people think it's a myth, but we see all the data. Do you want me to shut it down?"

_Shut it down?_ Wow. She hadn't thought of that. "How exactly would you do that?"

"I could cut off all their outside power lines and communications. Let me check something." He typed into a computer console and then looked up again. "Juno has hydrokinetic generators that can sustain basic life support indefinitely, but that's just oxygen. It would be dark immediately and down that deep, it'll get cold pretty fast. But someone would probably track it down long before they got too uncomfortable. Then I'd need a story."

She waved it off. "I'm not sure that would help us find Lucas, but I'll definitely keep that in mind if we need a quick diversion for our getaway."

He shrugged, looking confused. "What did you want then?"

"I need some bank hacking."

Nick shook his head. "I don't know what Lucas told you, but _he's_ the only person who ever got into the World Bank, and even _he_ couldn't keep the connection stable."

"I'm not asking you to steal any money or access anyone's accounts without permission. I'm going to give you all the passwords. All I want is for the transfers to look older in the records than they really are. Can you do that?"

"_With_ the passwords? Piece of cake."

"I recently inherited Sherman Oil. My bank account is pretty hefty, therefore…" She gave him her most intimidating glare with accompanying scowl. "If I _ever_ find out you've so much as _looked_ at any of the three accounts I'm trusting you with, at any time in the future, you _will_ regret it. Anywhere you could hide, Lucas could find you and I have my own jet copter and submarine, so unless you've got a seat on the next Mars rocket, I will catch up to you." She didn't bother with mentioning specific threats. This guy was obviously smart; his imagination would do the job for her.

He gulped again. "I can think of a lot easier targets to steal money from than you, ma'am. Assuming I was going to steal at all, which I'm not. I just want to help Lucas."

She softened her features. "I'll be sure and tell him that you helped us, Nick. And thank you."

She gave him her account information as well as the two doctors' accounts. They would all change their passwords when this was over, so she wasn't too worried about anything but the present. He did everything she asked and even turned his computer monitor toward the vid-link camera so she could watch as he did it. He was just as sharp as Lucas with the computers and it was hard to not be reminded of him.

"Can you set up some kind of tracer, so we'd know if anyone else checked these accounts?"

He nodded and clicked some keys. "Done. Do you want me to route inquiries to you or can I mess with their heads?" He was grinning like he found the idea amusing.

"Anything text I'll let you handle. If they try to get a visual, patch it to my vid-cell." She rattled off the number and he typed it directly into the computer.

"All set up. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How do you know you can trust me? We weren't even introduced at Lucas's birthday. I could be draining your accounts dry right now, for all you know." He had that cocky look about him, like Lucas so often had when he was doing something for Bridger that was totally necessary but also totally illegal.

"Because I trust _Lucas_, Nick. He wouldn't have you as his friend if he didn't trust you. And I know you care about him, or you wouldn't have come halfway around the world just to be at his birthday party. You noticed neither of his parents were there, and they had far more means to travel than you did."

Nick nodded. "Is it all right if I tell Juliana—uh, the girl who came with me to the party? The part about Lucas being kidnapped, I mean. She's probably closer to Lucas than I am."

"If you feel she can be trusted, then yes. But I'd rather you didn't mention the banking part to her."

"She could probably chase down my logs if she wanted to know, but I think all she'll care about is Lucas."

"Can anyone else chase your logs?"

He smiled that smug hacker smile, exactly like Lucas's. "No way."

"Good. I'm glad you're on _our_ team." She ended the call.

Katie left the stateroom to check on _Splendor_'s progress. Ford and Brody were in the navigation compartment. Brody had taken off his leather headgear and the chest harness and Jonathan wasn't wearing the _bling_ anymore, but otherwise they were still in costume. A viewscreen played another _educational_ vid-disc, courtesy of Helga. _Splendor_ would have been easy to drive even for a civilian with no experience, so Katie knew these Navy officers had everything well under control. "Think you can handle this?" she joked.

"The sub? No problem," Brody said. "The mission…" He shuddered. "I don't think I've ever felt so unprepared going into a rescue."

"Then don't think of yourself as being on the extraction team."

His eyes widened like he thought she'd just thrown him off the mission. He was kind of cute, but so gullible. She was going to enjoy serving over him when Bridger called her to duty.

"I mean, think of it as a con game and you're the shill."

He exhaled with relief. "I think I can do that."

"You're also Dr. Smith's bodyguard," Ford said solemnly. "You and Shan, both. She's going to act like she can handle anything, but remember, for her, it's just as much an act as the costumes are for us."

"Yes, sir," Brody said.

Katie had the feeling that Brody felt much more comfortable as Wendy's bodyguard than playing distraction in order to let women conduct the rescue. _And Jonathan knew that_, she realized. Commander Ford always been an impeccable naval officer, but she couldn't believe how much Bridger had influenced him in the short span of time while she'd been captaining the _Clinton_. She'd been glad when he turned down his own _Bruno_-class sub back when they were serving together, but mostly because she didn't want to break in a new XO. She'd never really thought his explanation of having more to learn on _seaQuest_ was anything more than conciliatory courtesy. But he had indeed been learning. He was a better leader now because he'd stayed.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

She'd been staring. She shook herself out of it. "Sorry. Tired. I'm going to turn in. Wake me when we're an hour away."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Jonathan, you know I'm no longer a captain."

He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. For all intents and purposes this is a civilian mission, and you're captain of your own submarine."

She opened her mouth to object.

He raised a halting hand. "Save it. Captain Bridger made it clear the whole operation was yours, no matter how we want to classify it. Reserves or not, you're in command, Katie, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

She smiled. "Thanks, Jonathan. I can't believe how much I've missed being underwater. I bought this sub for the mission and now I'm tempted to keep her. What do you think?"

He chuckled. "I think there's no way I'd be able to sell this if she was mine."

"You don't think it makes me a rich bitch?"

"Those clothes are getting to you, Katie. Go take a nap."

She punched him playfully in the arm and left. The lounge was on the way to her stateroom, and everyone else was in there, watching more Juno vid-discs. Kristin and Wendy had taken off their high heels and the guys had taken off some of their weirder accessories, but no one had changed back into their own clothes.

"Was Nick the right person from Node 3?" O'Neill asked.

"Yeah, I just bet about twenty million that he was."

Everyone in the room gasped.

"Kristin, Wendy, you're each about ten million dollars richer. Use whatever you have to, to make it look good, and to get Lucas back."

"You'll get back whatever we don't use," Kristin said.

Katie shrugged. "I know. I feel like the captain though. The money isn't important as long as we get Lucas out."

Tony didn't look like he could get his eyes back in his sockets. "Ya don't really think he'll be that much, do ya? I mean, who else could pay dough like that, outside o' you?"

"Oh I don't know," Dr. Westphalen said with that mischievous glint in her eye. "Maybe we should sell _you_, just to test the market."

"But he's shorter than Lucas," Wendy piped in. "Dock at least a million for that."

"Hey, if I'm worth nine million, I'll sell _myself_."

"Brilliant, Tony," Shan said. "And how would you spend it if you're some chick's permanent footstool?"

"Ya don't pay nine mill for a footstool," Tony said, like this conversation had any logic to it to begin with.

Dr. Westphalen grabbed him by the ear and pulled him toward her, pretty hard from the look of pain on the petty officer's face. "Okay, Shortcake. We'll have no more talk of selling people. You re-enlisted, so _the Navy_ owns you right now. You want to go back when your enlistment is up, nobody will stop you."

"Aw, come on. You guys wouldn't come in after me?"

"Not if you went there on purpose," Tim said.

"With some cockamamie plan to sell yourself," Ben added. "I mean, I've had some doozies myself, but that takes the cake."

Katie leaned over and spoke softly, "Speaking of doozies, how's the…" she barely touched the fine gold chain that hung between the two rings.

His eyes squeezed shut and his face twisted into a grimace. "Oww." He took several deep breaths, trying to regain his composure.

Katie retracted her hand quickly, wincing in sympathy. "Sorry. You sure you don't just want to take those out and find a different costume?"

"No. The worst part is over. I'm leaving these in if they kill me."

"They might," she said with a smile.

"I think you're enjoying this."

"Hey, I tried to talk you out of it, remember? I'm going to get some sleep, in the bed this time. You drove the whole way here. Are you tired?"

He looked up at her with his charming smile and his soulful eyes. "No, but I'd consider it an honor to give my mistress a backrub and tuck her in."

He spoke very sincerely but he left it just enough of a joke that she could smack him soundly and probably earn a lot of laughs. Most of the others were watching the vid-screen, but she didn't kid herself that they weren't listening. A backrub sounded so good right then, and she did really want to talk to Ben. Why did it seem so hard to just say yes? Kristin caught her eye and winked. All Katie could think of was the look on the doc's face when the captain called her bluff and dragged her off with the camera. This wasn't a military operation or a military vessel. Everyone was on their own time. She didn't have to play the Blue-eyed Bitch just yet. She patted Ben on the shoulder. "Well, come on then, Bootlicker. Don't keep that mistress waiting."

Ben got up and followed her in, and to her surprise, no one gave them a hard time. When they were alone, he knelt by the bed and helped her take her boots off, then he started massaging her feet. Katie couldn't help moaning, "Oh, that feels so good," quite a few times. It felt so good, in fact, that she fell asleep before she got the chance to talk to him and before he ever gave her a backrub. She awoke several hours later, still in her vinyl pants and corset, but with a blanket over her. The lights had been dimmed, but she could still see. She heard soft breathing sounds and found Ben, lying on his side, on the floor.

"Ben, what are you doing?" she whispered.

"Uh, I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"Did I push you out of bed?"

"No, I chose the floor." He was too serious to have been kidding.

"Why?"

"Because I didn't want to take advantage of you after you fell asleep. We've had separate bedrooms ever since we started working together and I didn't want to screw up your trust. I'm not getting in bed with you without a clear invitation, even just to sleep."

"You know, you could have just gone to one of the other staterooms, or slept in one of those great lounge chairs."

"I think they're still watching Mondo Bizarro out there. Besides, I wanted to be here if you woke up wanting that backrub."

"Actually, there _is_ something I want from you."

"Does it involve yanking my chain?" He tried to make light, but she could tell he really was worried about it.

"No, but it _does_ involve something Helga mentioned."

He hesitated and then, "What?"

"Us vanilla girls like to cuddle and have deep conversations." Her voice trembled a little; it was so hard to let down all her masks. "Do you think we could do that? I mean, without any expectations?"

"Is that a clear invitation?"

"Yes. Please join me on the bed, Ben."

He slid into the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her. He gasped when he barely touched her back. Katie guessed he'd put pressure on his tender piercings.

"What'd I do?"

He sounded like he had no air. "Nothing. My fault. Katie, it's a good thing you're not interested in anything but talking and cuddling, because honestly, this hurts a helluva lot more than I thought it would."

"I know, Ben. I'm sorry it's bothering you so much. You want to go see one of the docs?"

"No. If I stay anesthetized the whole trip, I'm never going to get used to the pain. Helga said someone might grab this thing. I need to be prepared for that."

"Those make you so attractive." It just came out. She regretted it when it left her lips, but she couldn't take it back. Besides, it was true.

"_What_? You _like_ them?"

"Not the hoops or the chain, just you being willing to do that for Lucas."

"Well, I don't think _he_ is gonna find them attractive."

"Not _them_, Ben. _You_."

"Did you just say you find me attractive?"

"Uh huh. Sometimes."

"Well, tell me what I can do to make the 'sometimes' into 'frequently'."

"What if it involved more pain?" She didn't plan to hurt him, but it was fun to make him squirm.

"For you, Katie, bring it on."

"Seriously?"

"Very seriously. I never stopped loving you, Katie. I know I screwed everything up in our marriage and I know I don't deserve another chance, but I'd do anything for you."

"Wow, Ben. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I'm thankful you're letting me live under your roof. You've given me the job I always wanted and I'm happy just to be back in your life. You don't owe me anything."

"Ben, my biological clock is ticking. If we can't make this work, I should try to find someone else."

"I don't know if I can stand around and watch some other guy get close to you, Katie. I'm not saying you don't deserve it. I—I'd have to leave Sherman Oil and Bridger Hitchcock."

"Then _don't_ leave, Ben. Stay and make this work. Make _us_ work. We both gave up, cut our losses, and ran last time. We didn't really try that hard to save the ship; we just abandoned it. Do you want to try again, and not give up this time?"

He sighed softly. "More than anything."

"Good. I don't want to lose a great CFO."

"Does this mean we're a couple now?"

"Haven't we been going everywhere together anyway?"

"Yes, but that's not the same as being a couple. This is the last conversation I had with Lucas. He asked me and I told him no. We're not a couple unless you say we are."

"I'm not wearing your class ring around my neck."

He laughed and the heaving of his chest pained him. "Gotcha. No class ring."

"When we get him back, you can tell Lucas I'm your girlfriend now."

"I don't want to go too fast for you, Katie. I need you to set the pace and tell me what you're thinking."

"Yeah, I'm bad at that. You need to get me alone and cuddle me first. Oh, and the foot massage didn't hurt either."

"Those heels look like medieval torture devices. Your feet are going to hurt every day. Hey, I can do that even undercover."

"I could make Jonathan do it."

He sucked in his breath. "Yes, you could. But I'm begging you to let _me_ do it unless there's a really good reason he needs to."

She laughed. "I don't think he's going to fight over my feet."

"I'm not going to fight, but I am telling you that it matters to me. Of course he's going to have to touch you and you're going to have to touch him. You're good friends and I don't expect you to change that. Now that I'm not contaminating _his_ navy, I think he even tolerates _me_ sometimes."

"Ben, _you're_ my boyfriend, not Jonathan. Anything I do with him is probably making him cringe inside, but he does it for the cover. You've called dibs on my feet, then that's fine by me. I don't want to make any of this mission any more painful than it already is."

"We'll get him back, Katie."

She sighed. She wanted to believe it more than anything. Not just that it was possible or probable, but a sure thing like he said it. "I hope so."


	11. Chapter 50 A Ray of Hope

**Chapter 50**

Lucas was exhausted and all his muscles hurt. He'd gotten used to having that stupid ball in his mouth most of the time. Lady Rita took it out when she had him behind a locked door and someone always took it out to let him eat twice a day, but he couldn't even tell his overseer when he had to use the bathroom. It didn't matter because he got such frequent breaks, but he wondered what he would have done if Rita had followed Gianna's instructions and kept him gagged all the time.

Lady Rita gave up her days off so that no one else would take over his training. He wouldn't have to endure twelve consecutive hours of back-breaking work, followed by four hours on his knees, still stuck in the gag, and probably beat with a strap if his knees gave out. As it was, Mistress Carmen had really only hit him a few times. He'd provoked it by wandering out of bounds, trying to get a look at the security systems, and even then, she hadn't really hit him that hard.

He knew he was lucky that Rita had been so nice to him, but he was starting to worry about what was going to happen when his time here was up. The mine was dark and the work was mind-numbing and hard, but with Rita watching out for him, he felt like it was more bearable than being sold on an auction block and looking at an uncertain future.

"Lady Rita?" he spoke tentatively. He didn't want to presume on her goodwill.

"Yes, Lucas?"

"I was thinking maybe you should tell Mistress Gianna that I need more training."

"But why? You'd have to stay here longer."

"Exactly."

She caressed his cheek. "You don't deserve to be in here. You should be out in the sunlight where the air isn't stale."

Was this what Darwin felt like when they told him he needed to go swim on the surface and get some sun? "Well, if I could go where there's _real_ sunlight, then sure I'd want to leave, but I'm afraid."

She sighed. "I know you are. I wish I could tell you everything's going to be okay. Your chances are really good, but…" She let the sentence hang unfinished.

"But I'd rather not gamble if I can't afford to lose." For some reason, he couldn't shake the image of Tony running through the passages of _seaQuest_ in his underwear while Dagwood held his clothes and chanted, _"I'm the lucky winner."_

"I can't keep you here forever, you know. Much as I might like to."

_Like to?_ He forced a chuckle. "What, and work seven days a week?"

"_You're_ working seven days a week."

"I don't have a choice. You _do_."

"I'd work seven days a week if it would help you, Lucas. If you want me to report to Gianna that you're not ready, I'll do it, but it may backfire. She'll probably want Ms. Jess to take over for me, or she'll take you home herself and apply her own discipline. She can be pretty brutal."

Lucas shuddered. He'd heard the name Jess whispered around and only the pain-crazy guys were eager to meet her. Of course, Lucas could never ask the other slaves any questions because he only got the gag off when he was alone with Rita. He sighed. "Do whatever you think is best then."

Rita patted his shoulder. "Try not to worry. It probably won't be as bad as your imagination is making it."

_Try not to worry_, she says. _Probably_, she says. He closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore the wave of revulsion that swept over him as he allowed her to replace the gag. He wanted to scream protests, but it would only make him lose what little privilege he had. Besides, he wanted _Gianna_ to pay, not Rita.

Rita led him back to Mistress Carmen's work group, and he gave both Carmen and Rita a scowl, just because he felt ornery and resented every stinking woman on Juno at that moment. Rita had told him to pretend he hated her in front of others, so he wasn't burning any bridges there. Carmen raised her lash threateningly and he tensed rather than do what he knew he was supposed to: start hauling rocks. She delivered a smack to his back, but it only stung a little. He wondered whether her stroke really wasn't that hard, or if he was comparing everything to his flogging back on If Island, in which case nothing they were doing here would register on his skewed pain scale.

He glared at her just enough to let her know he wasn't deriving any "excitement" from her pitiful attempts at motivation, but not long enough that she'd feel he needed more correction. He'd sent his message of protest for the day, so he went back to playing human skip-loader. Carmen followed him a while, which he expected. She had to make sure his little temper tantrum was over before she went and beat anyone else. It was something like a game and he had a feel for some of the rules now, inane though they were.

Most of the time, he just concentrated on the work: bend over, lift big rock, stand slowly enough not to break back, walk to the conveyer (being very careful not to drop rock on toes), heave rock onto conveyer, walk back, start the process over. He knew he could probably work out designs for the new submarine in his head while his muscles plowed through their motions, but it was too depressing. What good would it do? He had to forget _seaQuest_ and Bridger Hitchcock SeaDesigns. He had to forget his friends and his old life. This was his new fate and his new future. Thinking of the past hurt too much. And unlike the half-hearted smacks from Mistress Carmen, his memories cut like a knife.

Therefore, when he was careful, he kept himself occupied by calculating pi and rehearsing various scientific equations, at least the ones that didn't remind him too much of _seaQuest_. He was carrying a rather large rock and mentally reciting Kreb's Cycle when he thought he saw a familiar face in one of the distant work groups. He blinked and looked again, but there was no one there._ I must be seeing things because I'm hungry_. Back to Kreb's Cycle and hauling rock. But he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. _That's ridiculous, of course they're watching me_. There were security cameras and overseers all over the stinking place.

He started looking up more. It was a risk because the ground was littered with smaller rocks that could really hurt his bare feet, not to mention the danger if he stumbled. He saw the face again. _Was that Tim?_ It didn't seem possible. Tim wasn't stupid enough to come to Juno. Heck, not even Tony was _that_ stupid. His mind was starting to play tricks on him. He was going crazy. But if he was just seeing what he wanted to see, why wasn't it Captain Bridger or Dr. Westphalen? Tim's spectacled face was hard to mistake for anyone else. Lucas kept trying to get a better look, but Carmen smacked him twice for dawdling and he didn't see either glasses or a familiar face again, which only confirmed he was losing his mind.

Lady Rita picked him up again. He didn't have any trouble pretending he didn't want to go because he really wanted to try to see that face again. He was genuinely in a foul mood when Rita practically threw him into the 'training room' and locked the door.

"You don't have to be _that_ stubborn," she growled as she reached to unbuckle the gag.

He strained to overcome his frustration before he spit out the ball. "I—I'm sorry. I thought I saw someone I know and I wanted to get a better look, but you dragged me away."

"Someone you know?" She came closer and whispered, "Could it be someone that could help you?"

If it _was_ Tim, then there could be no other explanation. He was far too smart to have come alone. It _had_ to be a rescue. "I think so. Skinny pale guy with glasses. He can't have been here long."

"Puppy. His mistress is some V.I.P. guest. She only left him here for twenty-four hours. Do you want to talk to him?"

Lucas couldn't help the surge of hope swelling within. Sure, he'd be disappointed if it wasn't Tim, but what would it hurt to look? "Please. I owe you big if it's my friend."

"Is there any way I can be sure?"

"His real name is Tim." Then he remembered how Rita had made him take off all his leather before she put him in work clothes. She dressed _all_ the newcomers. "And there are bad scars on his back."

Recognition dawned in her eyes. "Sounds like you _do_ have a friend here. I'll be right back."

Lucas couldn't kneel anymore; he couldn't even stand still. He jumped up and paced the tiny room. When the key turned in the lock, he shied away from the door. He didn't think Rita had been gone long enough and he was afraid someone else was coming in. But soon enough, he saw her enter, yank Tim in on a leash, and then close the door behind him. He was wearing a grey toga-like garment, but at least he was a lot more covered than Lucas was, especially in the back. It took Tim a second to process everything. No doubt he'd thought he was going to get punished and Rita wouldn't have been able to tell him any differently. Then he saw Lucas and his face lit up, but he still didn't know whether he could trust the overseer who had brought him here.

Lucas didn't wait for him to figure it all out. He surged forward and bear-hugged him. "Tim! How did you get here?"

Tim hugged back, quite a bit firmer than his usual. He indicated Rita with his eyes and let his expression ask the question without any words.

"Lady Rita has been nice to me. I asked her to bring you in here."

"Are you okay?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just sore from working in the mines. I can't believe you're here. Is _seaQuest_ docked? Can we get out of here?"

Tim cringed. "Not quite. You know this place isn't UEO. The governor wouldn't give us permission to dock. We had to find another way in." Again, he eyed Rita distrustfully. "You know the papers you signed? Well, I signed some too. I'm the property of Domina Scarlet _Westphalen_." He winked when he said her surname, as if he could miss it.

_W-W-Westphalen? Dr. Westphalen was here? _Lucas was so excited he couldn't speak.

"She and Lady Katerina_ Hitchcock _will want to have a word with your supposed owner. Lady Katerina is extremely put-out that you were _stolen_ from her." He gave Lucas a pointed look to punctuate 'stolen', willing him to read between the lines.

Lucas caught on fast. _Katie came here undercover as a mistress and she's going to get me back by claiming she already owned me._ He feigned nervousness. "Is Lady Katerina mad at me? I couldn't help it. I swear. Gianna was going to starve me to death if I didn't sign."

"Wait," Rita said. "I thought you weren't into this at all? Now you're saying you had another mistress?"

Lucas looked at Rita and then back at Tim. "I can't to lie to Rita. Not after what she's done for me." He turned back to Rita. "I told you the truth before. But I'm going to have to lie to get out of here. Katerina and…" He couldn't remember the fake name Tim had given Dr. Westphalen.

"Domina Scarlet," Tim supplied.

Lucas nodded and continued talking to Rita. "…and Domina Scarlet are my friends. I was staying at Katie—er—Lady Katerina's condominium in Hawaii when I was kidnapped, and I was working for her—like lots of hours—so it's not really far from the truth."

Rita shook her head. "Gianna won't care. She owns you now."

Lucas started to argue, but Tim grabbed him and shook his head at him. "Let Lady Katerina handle it, Lucas."

He shut his mouth fast. Tim was right. Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock and Dr. Westphalen were not to be trifled with. Gianna was dead meat.

"I told Dr. Smith I found you," Tim faced Lucas as he spoke and all but ignored Rita now. "She's going by Madam Lynx here. She's going to find Katerina and Scarlet. You're not going to believe the costumes."

_Wendy was here too?_ "Oh, I'll believe it. But how many people came with you?"

"Three women, six men, including me."

_Six men risked setting foot in a colony where they could become slaves? _"Whoa. Six men? Now _that's_ unbelievable."

Tim chuckled. "Wait 'til you see Lady Katerina's LS909."

Why did Katie's money continue to surprise him? _Of course_ she would buy a fancy submarine.

Tim turned to Rita. "Domina Scarlet will be here soon. I know you can't take my word for it, but she and Lady Katerina are going to demand that you tell them where _Mistress_ Gianna is." He practically spat her title. "May I respectfully suggest: don't cross them."

"If anyone found out what I've already done for him, I could end up in chains out there." She cast a glance over her shoulder. "I've already risked a lot for him. I'll try to help any way I can, but, unfortunately, I don't know where Gianna is. All I can do is call the number she left."

"Then I recommend you call her."

It was so funny how Tim was saying 'recommend' and 'suggest' while practically giving orders. In a place where he was _supposed_ to be a slave. It reminded Lucas a lot of Captain Bridger.

Rita looked around the room. She was a little flustered. Everything had happened rather fast and she still didn't know what to make of Tim. "Um, will you both be okay here, by yourselves?"

Lucas smiled at her. "We're fine. Go."

She left, locking them inside.

"Do you want to try to talk to the captain?" Tim asked.

"Yes!" he exclaimed without thinking. "Wait. There's a scrambling field around the whole dome. PALs won't work."

Tim smiled like the Cheshire cat. "I know. Do I look like I have room for a PAL in this toga anyway? You remember how the captain talked to Dr. Smith when we were on the life raft in the Pacific?"

"Mary?"

A nod. "Mary. You'll have to touch me and there're no guarantees it'll work. The captain may have more psychic aptitude or I may not be under enough stress, like I was then. But Mary thinks it could work. You'll have to let down your defenses and let her in."

Lucas grabbed Tim by the hand. "Let's try it."

"Close your eyes and relax," Tim said, squeezing his hand a little. Lucas closed his eyes.

_Lucas, can you hear me?_ He'd talked to Mary on vid-link before, when Tim was kidnapped by Slate. Her mindvoice sounded just like her other voice.

_Yes, I can hear you, Mary! Hey, congratulations on getting engaged and all._

_Thank you, Lucas. You sound much better than we all expected._

_I'm just so happy to see Tim and now to talk to you. Are you with Captain Bridger?_

The captain's voice interrupted; it was canned and fainter, like hearing over a radio. _No, I'm on __**seaQuest**__ in the South Atlantic, still tracking prehistoric crocodiles._

Tim explained,_ Mary's at home in Oklahoma. She's talking to __**seaQuest**__ on vid-link._

_Can you hear me, Lucas?_ the captain asked.

_Yes, I hear you, sir. I didn't think you'd be able to help me. I didn't think I'd ever hear your voice again._

Mary repeated after him, word-for-word and with his same inflection, and she did it without interrupting him or waiting. It was a little unnerving to hear his words echoed, but she kept her physical voice soft so that it was as unobtrusive as possible. She was done almost as quickly as he was.

_We got your message. You should know we'd never let them get away with this._ The captain's rebuke was gentle. He wasn't pretending this rescue was standard or easy.

Lucas fought tears of joy. _I miss you all so much. Thanks for coming after me._

_Well, don't thank __**me**__, pal. Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock planned this whole thing. You just go along with whatever the women say, okay?_

_Yes, sir. Tim's telling me what to do._

_Good. He's with Dr. Westphalen. You know she can't wait to see you._

_I can't wait to see her either._

_Are we done? _the captain asked.

_We are if you are, sir, _Tim said.

_You be careful in there, all of you._

_Aye, sir. O'Neill out. _

Tim released his hand and Lucas opened his eyes. He quickly brushed an errant tear away.

"Are you really okay?" he asked again, since Rita was gone.

"Yeah, really. Wardrobe sucks though." He turned just a little, so Tim could see he had nothing whatsoever covering his whole backside, then quickly turned back.

Tim gave him a sympathetic look and then said, "You think that's bad? Ben let Dr. Smith pierce his nipples."

"No way!" Lucas couldn't help but laugh and cringe at the same time. "So Ben's here too?"

"Ben and Commander Ford belong to Lady Katerina. Tony and I belong to Domina Scarlet and Will and Brody belong to Madam Lynx. Oh, and Dr. Westphalen cut her hair—really short."

"She cut her hair _for me_?"

"Yep. But all the women ever talk about is their high heels being medieval torture devices."

"Well, I think they have some real medieval torture devices in here if they want to see them."

"They didn't use anything _on you_, did they?"

"No. I'm fine. Really." No way he was going to mention getting his butt paddled in the middle of the town square. He leaned in and whispered, "Do you think we'll get to watch when Katie and Dr. Westphalen open the can of whoop-ass on Gianna?"

Tim shuddered. "The captain ordered me to try to keep Dr. Westphalen from breaking her Hippocratic Oath. But Hitchcock outranks me, so I'm under no obligation to stop her from turning Gianna into a bloody pulp."

"They might not let us watch."

Tim chuckled. "Actually, from what I've seen since we got here, someone will probably sell tickets and run a betting pool."


	12. Chapter 51 Not So Fast

**Chapter 51**

Katie felt remarkably comfortable sashaying around Juno Colony in her bad-ass shiny vinyl. She had the figure and she definitely had the attitude. True, she wasn't all that much into owning men. She just wanted equality, not superiority. She had respect for men like Bridger and Ford, so it was hard to see Jonathan as her property. Ben, on the other hand, was fun to order around and force to grovel, and it made her feel gratified, but slightly guilty all at the same time. Something deep inside of her liked to see Ben like this more than she wanted to admit.

When Helga suggested that Katie claim she'd been grooming Lucas to be _her_ property, she'd been disgusted, but the more she thought about it, the better it sounded. How better to beat this Gianna woman but to play _her_ game by _her_ rules? If Lucas was property at all, then he was _stolen_ property. Why should Gianna get away with kidnapping, _and_ make the crime pay? It wasn't that Katie cared about losing money, it was just the principle of rewarding a despicable act that she hoped to avoid. The problem was, she'd probably have to treat Lucas like a piece of meat. Her only consolation was knowing he was smart enough to figure out her real motives.

Once inside Juno, the rescue team split up. Helga said that recruiters often used the underground lithium mines like a boot camp, to break-in new men and condition them for their new social standing, so that seemed a logical place to look for Lucas. But women didn't just walk around down there and it was hazardous for men. Tim volunteered to go because he was the only one who could get a message out. Both Ford and Brody volunteered to go in with him, but Katie decided before they even left _seaQuest_ that it was an unnecessary risk. It was too likely they'd be separated and wouldn't be able to protect each other anyway.

Helga had also told them that the men should look around for Lucas, but not ask. No one would know his real name and it would look suspicious for a male to be asking about someone else's property. However, the women could actively ask for Gianna. Her name was on the ownership documents, and Katerina was looking to do legitimate 'business' with this woman. They divided the colony into thirds. Domina Scarlet took the southwest section of town, Madam Lynx took the southeast, and Lady Katerina took the north.

Katerina had been in five clubs already, slapped two total strangers in the face, and hit six others on the thigh or butt with her crop. In other words, she fit right in. Ebony had to endure a blonde woman complimenting his scars and more than a few feminine hands fondling his chest. Ben had one redhead yank his chain, but thankfully, not hard enough to make him pass out or bleed. Katie felt sorry for him, but the only way she could show it was to act condescending. "Aw, come 'ere wittle Bootlicker. Po' baby." She patted his cheek and then kissed the 'owie', leaving a lipstick stain in an odd place. This widened his eyes a bit and she just smiled and waggled her brows at him.

"Anyone know a recruiter named Mistress Gianna Valentino?" Katerina announced loudly enough that the whole room could hear.

No one spoke up. Heads shook.

"Tell her Lady Katerina Hitchcock is interested in buying some property from her. My friends and I are staying on the _Splendor of the Sea_, Collar 3 at Docking Bay Roma. Spread the word." She ordered a bloody mary from the bar and took a few sips to make it look good before handing the drink off to Ben, nodding her tacit permission to down the thing. She needed to stay sharp and he looked like he could use it. She paid all her tabs with Fingerprint Debit, always leaving hefty tips to boost her reputation for generosity. Maybe someone knew where Gianna was and would sell the information.

Ebony caught her attention and directed her gaze to a window. Lynx was approaching outside. She nodded to Jonathan that she'd seen and then snapped her fingers at Ben. "Come, Bootlicker, we're leaving." She hadn't stayed long in any of the restaurants or clubs she'd been to. Why would she, if she was looking for someone? She didn't cause trouble and she was spreading more money around than she usually did in a month.

Bootlicker set the empty glass on the bar and nodded politely to a few leather-clad ladies on his way out. Ben was nothing if not charming. The three of them managed to make a clean exit and get outside before Lynx would have looked strange for not coming in. Now out of the building, Katie could see that Lynx had not only Tiger and Skippy with her, but Shortcake too. Wendy evidently felt they were clear of any listeners, because she whispered without using any code, "Tim found Lucas in the lithium mine. The overseer is calling Gianna."

"Great, let's go."

"I think maybe I should stay with the guys while _you_ go. I already found Kristin; she left Tony with me while she went down to get Tim out and see if she can talk to Lucas. His name here is Cupcake, by the way."

Katie stifled her laugh. It did fit Lucas in a perverted kind of way and she'd tease him about it in a couple of months, but for now, it was too sore. She raised her voice to a normal volume. "Yeah, well, I don't have to pretend it's satisfactory, do I?"

Wendy drew her lips into a tight line and shook her head. She was probably right about taking a bunch of people, especially the vulnerable men, down into the mine. Unnecessary and sure to arouse suspicion. It wasn't like it was a prison that allowed visitors.

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself, Lady Katerina?" Ben asked.

Katie gave him a wink to show her appreciation for his concern. Jonathan's eyes held the same concern, but he'd chosen to be silent, probably because he thought airing it would look like distrust in her abilities. She nodded at him too. "I'll be fine. Why don't you see if you can't find some good takeout and get back to the _Splendor_. Scarlet and I will meet you there when we're done."

"Anywhere but that sushi place," Shan grumbled.

Katie found it funny that the one Asian among them would badmouth the sushi. But Lynx laughed. "Oh, but they _loved_ you there, Tiger."

He shuddered all over. "I know. I'd rather starve." Jonathan gave Will a good-natured slap on the back. They could never tell all their stories about this ultra-embarrassing mission in public, but they did have a lot to commiserate over together.

Ben piped in, "Every undersea colony I've ever visited has had at least one place that delivers pizza."

Katie smirked at him. "Chicken."

He knew she meant his cowardice, but being Ben, he just smiled. "I'm sure they have buffalo wings too."

"Madam Lynx has the bank account, boys. It's her call."

"Delivery sounds good to me," Wendy said. Katie guessed she was either empathically overloaded after being in too many crowds, or she just wanted to get out of those high heels as soon as humanly possible. Maybe both.

"See you back at the _Splendor_," Katie said as she took off, leaving Wendy with the five men.

They'd all studied the maps of Juno so they knew the main landmarks: the town square, the coliseum, the four docking bays, and the mine entrance. Katie probably remembered more than most, because she had an eye for blueprints and schematics and her memory for those kinds of things was close to photographic. If she ever found herself on the run, she wanted the best chance possible.

The one thing the maps had not shown was how the mine was laid out below ground, and how labyrinthine the corridors were that led there. It was dimly lit, but she didn't miss the seams in the walls where doors were hidden. They probably shut all thirty-some-odd of them every night and during any escape attempt. There were signs showing the way, but these would be useless if the lights went out. Katie hated the knot that rose in her gut as she traversed the dark, winding passages. This would _not_ be a good place to grab Lucas and run.

She came to a wide area with a sign indicating "Worker Sign-Ins" on a pastel blue door. Next to that was an advertisement-style poster. Stacks of gold coins surrounded a flowing script font proclaiming the generous profits women would reap from renting their slaves to the mines. Katie took a quick look around to make sure there were no security cameras, then she spat on the poster. She opened the door to find a small reception area where Scarlet stood, talking to someone in charge. The woman behind the counter was saying, "…can't bring him out here without his mistress's permission."

"If you're talking about Cupcake, then I claim him as mine," Katie said in the most serious, authoritative voice she had.

The woman sighed. "You must be Lady Katerina. Do you have any ownership documents?"

"No. He only turned eighteen a few months ago. I hadn't got around to it. But I was grooming him to be mine. He was staying at my residence and working for me—twelve and fourteen hour shifts, mind you—without pay. This Gianna woman had no right to steal him."

The woman nodded. "I don't know about that, but Lucas told me you were his friend. My name is Rita. I've tried to help him while he was here, but I can't bring him out here with Gianna due to arrive at any second."

"Now wait a minute, you—" Scarlet started in, her cheeks starting to match her red leather outfit and her finger pointed at the woman denying her goal.

Rita put up a halting hand and spoke over Scarlet's protest. "But I can take you back there if you want."

"I want," Katie said immediately.

"Me too," Scarlet said, shrinking back a little.

Rita beckoned them to follow her with a curled finger. When they left the reception area and entered the mines themselves, Katie heard whips cracking, pickaxes striking rock, men yelping, and women barking orders, all echoing off the cavernous walls. A chill coursed her spine and her stomached lurched. She wanted to turn around and leave, but she sucked it up for Lucas and continued on, doing her best to ignore the ugly sounds assaulting her ears. Rita unlocked a door marked "Solitary Confinement" and motioned them in. The room was very small, and at first, all she could see was Tim. He emitted a sigh of relief upon recognizing her. He whispered over his shoulder, "It's okay, it's Lady Katerina and Domina Scarlet," and then he moved aside to reveal Lucas backed into the corner behind him.

The teen's big blue eyes glanced at her, recognizing, but seeking the other woman promised. Katie saw Kristin open her arms to him. Lucas's eyes filled with longing and he lunged about half a foot toward her and then stopped himself. With what had to be iron will, he turned toward Katie instead, approached, and fell on his knees at her feet. "I'm sorry, Mistress Katie. I didn't want to sign the papers. Gianna would have killed me if I didn't. Please don't be angry with me."

Katie wanted to cry. Here she'd been so worried at how hard Lucas would take it when she treated him like a piece of meat, but evidently Tim had let him in on the plan and Lucas was already full on board. He was better at this than she was! _She_ was the one having a hard time playing along. She reached for his face and caressed his cheek gently in her gloved hand. She spoke softly, trying to keep her voice from cracking with emotion. "I'm not angry, Lucas. I blame Gianna, not you."

Lucas reached up and took the hand on his cheek and kissed the back of her glove. Katie couldn't take it anymore. She pulled him up from the floor and into her arms. Tears slipped out of her eyes and she whispered, "Are you okay?" even as her gloved hands discovered his back was bereft of covering.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he whispered. "Thanks for coming for me."

"We're not out of here yet. But go, hug Dr. Westphalen before she has a stroke."

She released him to go embrace the doctor, which he did without hesitation. Katie looked up at the quiet guy in the toga. "Good work, Tim."

He shrugged. "I didn't do much. Lucas found _me_ and he'd already made friends with the guard so she would put us together in here."

"And _you_ got word out to us."

He nodded.

"How about you? Did anyone hurt _you_?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm fine."

Katie didn't know Tim well enough to know whether he was just making light of whatever he'd endured, or whether it was the full-on truth. But since he looked okay, she didn't question him on it.

Rita took a step toward them while Lucas and Kristin were still enjoying their reunion. "If that was an act, it was damned good," Rita said to Katie.

Katie wasn't ready to trust this woman just because she'd let Lucas see Tim. "It's not an act. He's mine and I'm not leaving without him."

She shook her head, panic written on her face. "I _can't_ release him to you. Gianna has his papers. _She's_ the legal owner unless she sells him to you."

"Fine. I'll buy him if I have to."

"She thinks he'd do best at auction. I mean, you've got to agree he's awfully cute and because he's young…" The overseer had a pained expression on her face.

Katie didn't need her to spell it out. But then again, Rita didn't know what kind of wealth she had at her disposal. She squared her shoulders and lifted her head to speak, her confidence genuine and imposing, "I'm not some wanna-be that has to _buy_ men who've been kidnapped and stolen. Lucas would have been mine by the end of the week without any need to bring money into the picture. But if Gianna wants to go to that level, I can play there too. I can outbid anyone on this colony." She planted her hands on her hips. "And I always get what I want."

Rita cringed. "You can't bid at all if you're not a resident."

Katie waved away the warning. She already knew that. But if Gianna had any brains, she'd see that Katie would pay more if she sold him privately.

Something on Rita's belt beeped. She looked down at the device. "Gianna's here. Lucas, put the gag back on, please."

"The _what?_" Katie choked. "Belay that order, Lucas."

Rita's face twisted into a frown. "Look, I didn't have to bring you back here. I got Gianna here so you can negotiate, but she's going to be hopping mad if she finds out I've been plotting against her. If you want to get him back, then you've got to let her think she's in control. Act like she's done you a _favor_ to get Lu—er—Cupcake all trained and in the proper frame of mind. Offer to pay her for her trouble as well as for the merchandise."

Katie didn't like it. She didn't want to reward _anyone_ for kidnapping a sweet, harmless young man and selling him into slavery. She wanted to beat Gianna to shreds and then some. She cast a glance at Lucas.

He gave her a weak smile. "It's okay, Katie. I'll put it on."

Katie nodded her assent, still not happy about it, but not wanting to risk the deal over something so trivial. Lucas picked the ball-and-strap thing up and handed it to Rita. He'd obviously done this before and the thought made her shiver.

Rita spoke to Katie while buckling the gag, "I'm going to take him back out to Reception the way you came in. You need to go down the hall and to the right, out the employee exit and then double back to enter Reception on the customer side where you first came in. You need to pretend you haven't seen him yet, and I wouldn't bring Scarlet in at all when you confront Gianna. If you can manage a repeat of that apology, Lucas, that would be great. I know I haven't beaten the cockiness out of you, but this would be a very bad time for Gianna to discover that, if you know what I mean."

Lucas, with his mouth full of red ball, just nodded. He saw Katie's look of sympathy and he winked at her.

"What about me?" Tim asked.

Rita nodded at Kristin and then spoke to Tim. "Scarlet came to pick you up. You're free to go."

"I'm not leaving unless Lucas is." And by the look on his face, Katie didn't think even an official Navy order would have changed his mind.

Rita sighed. "Then you should wait in the hall until you know what's happening. Scarlet can always re-admit you because you're so damned stubborn."

Katie and Tim both chuckled at that. Kristin scoffed, "You have _no_ idea." The doc gave Lucas a final kiss on the cheek before Rita took the leash and ushered him quickly toward Reception.

Katie, Tim, and Kristin hurried out the way Rita had suggested. Although Katie knew they both hated it, Kristin and Tim agreed to wait in the dimly lit hall beside the poster with the piles of gold. Katie straightened her shiny vinyl corset and took a deep breath. "How do I look?"

Kristin pushed an errant lock of hair back into place, pressing it into the gel that slicked everything back. "You look perfect, Commander. Just try not to show how much you care about him. I know, I'm one to talk. But that's why I'm out here."

"He killed me with that performance, but now that we've had a dress rehearsal, I think I can manage."

She grabbed the door handle, thrust the door open, and marched into the reception area. Lucas was kneeling in a stiff pose in front of a tall woman in red leather pants, a black leather and lace corset, and long red gloves. She gave Lucas a cursory glance, but nothing more. Instead, she rounded on the woman and shook her finger at her, "Are you Gianna?"

Rita feigned surprise. "Excuse me. Can I help you?"

Katie growled at her, giving her the full frown and dangerous eyebrow. "Unless _you're_ Gianna, you'd best stay out of this."

Rita raised both hands in surrender and took a step back. _Smart girl_.

"I'm Gianna," the leather-clad woman in front of Lucas said.

Katie stood indecisive for a half-second. Should she tear her to pieces right there and then walk out with Lucas, or should she try to handle her civilly? She was a little perturbed that Lucas hadn't at least tried to make some show of his loyalty, like Rita had suggested. He still had that gag in, but he could have tried to kneel in front of _her_ instead of Gianna. But as soon as she allowed herself a better look at Lucas, his eyes directed her to a long electric cattle prod held by Gianna and pointed right at him. She held his leash in her other hand, so he had no chance to move away.

Katie swallowed all her hatred and steeled herself. "I'm Katherine Hitchcock, but I go by Lady Katerina here. I believe you've made a mistake."

Gianna narrowed her eyes at Katie and lifted the prod from pointing at Lucas's chest to pointing at his face.

"Whoa. Let's back this up a little. Maybe you didn't know he was mine. Lucas, did you tell her that I own you?"

Thank goodness they'd already talked about this so that he knew not to lie about it. Lucas shook his head.

"I hadn't gotten around to the papers yet. He just turned eighteen and I've been very busy running a multi-billion dollar corporation." She paused to let the hint about her wealth sink in. The light in Gianna's eyes did spark a little. Katie continued, trying to sound chummy. "Look, you've done me a favor. You've had him trained and even got him to shut his big mouth. I couldn't do what I wanted in Hawaii, but _here_…" She smiled wickedly when she said the last word, letting all the implications hang in the air.

"Here, he's _mine_," Gianna said flatly.

"Yes, I saw the papers in the message you sent to my condo back in Honolulu. Very shrewd. But I thought you were planning to sell him."

Gianna spun on Rita. "When did you talk to her?"

Damn. Katie had to think fast. "I called here when I heard someone had seen him. Was it you I spoke to? Whoever it was said that she believed you planned to sell him."

"Yes, it was me," Rita said. She looked at Gianna. "I thought you'd want to know there was an interested buyer."

"Who saw him and told you then?" Gianna was back to accusing Katie again.

Katie relaxed her stance and smiled. "Honey, I've been throwing money all over town asking questions. It was only a matter of time before someone cashed in on my generosity. I won't reveal my source, but what's the harm? Now lower that zapper and let's talk about cash. How much do you want for him?"

She lowered the rod a little, but it was still threateningly close. "He's knee-broken and he's adorable." She reached out with the hand holding his leash and touched Lucas's cheek. Katie fought hard to keep from punching Gianna right in the nose. Instead, she tried to give poor Lucas an encouraging smile.

"I'll grant you that. And I already know he's a hard worker. And where is that cute little outfit he wore in the recording? I probably would have just let you keep his sassy little butt if not for that outfit."

"Yes, his chest is probably even better-looking now that he's been here lifting rocks for a week."

Katie nodded. "Of course. And you've delayed your payoff a long time getting him primed, haven't you? I'm grateful for all the work you've put into him and I'll gladly compensate you for it."

Gianna's eyes traveled down to her boots and then back up to her face. "No, I think he's still more valuable on the auction block."

"You know I can't bid," Katie said solemnly.

Gianna grinned. "Yes, I know, and it pisses you off, doesn't it?"

Katie narrowed her eyes and leaned in close. "I'll tell you what pisses me off. Some no-good thief stealing what belongs to me and not even having the good grace to accept my olive branch."

The kidnapper didn't even flinch. "Tell you what, _Katerina_. The auction is Friday, but there are Gladiator Games tomorrow. I'm entering my best slave in the competition. You enter a slave too and beat my Rocky and I'll sell Cupcake privately to you on Thursday. Ten thousand. Deal?"

Did she have any other choice? "What are these games about? Slaves are too expensive to kill them for entertainment."

Gianna laughed, but it was cold and hollow. "It's not a battle to the death, dear. A winner is declared when one of the contestants is unable to continue or gives up. How about it?"

Jonathan could probably beat this Rocky character, whoever he was, but Katie wasn't going to volunteer him without his consent.

"Gianna," Rita said, "you should tell her that they've killed each other anyway and that women have killed men for losing or even for not winning fast enough to win a bet. They make a big deal here about upholding the house honor."

The recruiter glared at Rita, but Katie pretended she hadn't paid much attention or didn't really care. "I want to look into this thoroughly before I make any commitments. I'll let you know tomorrow. In the meantime, can we take the gag off and put him in a safer place?"

"Safer?" Gianna spat. "What, like on your fancy submarine? Yeah, don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. He's staying here until the Gladiator Games and then I bring him out to show him off to the crowds and drum up interest for the auction. You want to make sure no one else will bid on your sweet little Cupcake, then you best find someone to beat my Rocky."

Katie wondered whether killing Gianna right where she stood would be worth it. If the owner was dead, who got the slave? Rita would probably report her to whatever police they had, which meant Katie probably couldn't claim Lucas herself, but certainly Kristin or Wendy could snap him up while she went off to jail. But Gianna wasn't worth jail or whatever perverted penalty this stupid place might have. Just. Not. Worth. It.

Katie shrugged. "I guess he's safe enough here. I really don't think you do anyone any favors keeping him gagged though. If he doesn't keep his mouth shut, just beat him. And if he does, then why not have some nice supple lips to up his price? They could be handy."

Gianna looked like she was trying to come up with an argument, but couldn't. She spoke to Rita. "You can take it off when I'm gone, but he doesn't talk to _her_, got it?"

"Of course, Gianna. Whatever you say. You'll be back for him tomorrow then?"

"Yes. Tomorrow."

Rita moved forward. Katie got the feeling she wasn't comfortable with that lightning rod pointed at Lucas either. "Can I take him back now? He's had too long of a break as it is."

Gianna lowered the rod and handed Rita the leash. "You'd better be worth all this trouble," she hissed. Lucas didn't even look at Gianna, but he did cast a fearful glance back at Katie. She made sure Gianna wasn't watching, then she mouthed, "I'll send Tim back." It sucked that he had to be here, but she had to hope an impending sale meant no one would bloody-up the merchandise.

"You should go find a slave to enter in the Games," Gianna taunted.

_She knows about __**Splendor**__, but not Jonathan?_ Now, this was a juicy bit of news. Katie smiled quite wickedly. "Oh, Gianna, darling, I _brought_ slaves _with_ me. If I decide to enter your silly Games, I already have the _perfect_ specimen."

It was apparent to Katie that Gianna was unnerved by that statement, and Katie decided not to try to push anymore right now. Maybe Gianna should get a look at Ebony and when that made her squirm, Katie would be in a better position to negotiate. The door closed on Lucas and Rita, so Katie sashayed her vinyl-drenched hips out the door, leaving Gianna with her eyeballs popped out.

She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, but she settled for a long sigh once the door shut. She kept her voice low since Gianna was just on the other side of the door. "Sorry, Tim, he's got to stay one more night. I think I'll have him back by Thursday though."

Tim nodded, almost absently. "That's all right, Commander. But…"

Kristin nudged him. "You've got to tell her."

Katie didn't like the look on either of their faces.

Tim drew a deep breath and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Dr. Smith just talked to me telepathically. Ben was arrested for ordering pizza."

"_WHAT?_"

Kristin had a pained look on her face. "Remember Helga told us that men couldn't touch radios or cell phones? Well, evidently that includes public vid-link terminals."

"Where is he?"

"Sheriff's office," Tim said. "Wendy went with the arresting officer, but you need to get there as soon as possible."

"Tell her I'm on my way." She turned to Kristin. "Doc, get Tim signed back in here and then get back to _Splendor_. I don't like all the guys being alone there."

Kristin nodded. "You be careful, Katie."


	13. Chapter 52 Sheriff's at the Ritz

**Chapter 52**

Katie didn't exactly run all the way to the sheriff's office, but she didn't take a leisurely stroll either. On the way, she fretted about how to handle this. How did one argue over breaking a law that was ridiculous? Please excuse my dingbat pet for calling the pizza parlor because I was too busy trying to get my stolen pet out of your forced labor camp. Where was logic and common sense with these people?

She arrived, finding the cleanest, most luxuriously decorated law enforcement building she'd ever seen. The landscaping was meticulously weeded and full of exotic flowers arranged in neat and precise patterns. There was not a single dead leaf or scrap of grass clipping anywhere in sight. Three male gardeners wearing nothing but nice tans and red loincloths bowed their heads as she hurried over the freshly swept sidewalk.

The interior was just as nice: marble floors so polished you could probably eat off them, real wood wainscoting or a damned good facsimile, paintings of pastoral landscapes in intricately carved frames, and velvet drapes that looked like they had been purchased no more than a day ago. At the end of the hall stood a huge grandfather clock with a shiny brass pendulum swinging back and forth. The window in the winding door was clear at the top, but stained glass in an intricate floral pattern at the bottom. The swinging of the pendulum caused the many hues of stained glass to sparkle in a riot of color.

She found Wendy sitting in a waiting room that was furnished with upholstered armchairs that looked more like they belonged in the Taj Mahal than a police department. A huge aquarium full of bright anemones and exotic tropical species took up an entire wall, its aerator bubbling away peacefully. Wendy stood and gave her a woeful look, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about the phone thing."

Katie held up her hand to preclude any further blaming. She hadn't thought about it either. She just wanted to post bail and get out of here. Katie didn't pause in the waiting area, she just kept going toward the desk clerk whose service window looked more like what she was used to in a dentist's office. The brunette who sat behind the desk was wearing leather, but it wasn't the standard fire-engine red bustier and tight mini-skirt. The leather was a deep burgundy and fashioned into a very conservative business suit. She wore a pink carnation in her lapel that looked fresh.

This was supposed to be like a jaywalking ticket, right? Pay the fine. Apologize. Promise never to do it again. Sign some forms. Leave. Wendy came up beside her, but made no attempt to speak. She was there for support, and Katie, so out of her element, appreciated it. The lieutenant commander tried to adopt a pleasant face. "I'm Lady Katerina Hitchcock. I'm here about Bootlicker." She almost gave Ben's last name, but decided not to. They'd ask if they needed it.

"Thank you for coming. He's been charged with operating a communications device inside city limits."

"I'm sorry. I'm a visitor here. I didn't realize he was committing a crime to order pizza for me and my friends. He was just doing what I told him to do."

"Yes, that is what your friend said too," she said, eying Wendy, "but ignorance of the law is no excuse. You were given a copy of our statues when you docked and warned to read it before disembarking. Technically, I should cite you, too, for contributing to his delinquency, but you have V.I.P. status and at least you respected us enough not to push some stupid lie that it was really some woman with a deep voice using the vid-link. You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard variations on _that_ story. Parnelli's Pizza called us right away and we caught Bootlicker at the terminal before he was done. The case is airtight."

Katie nodded, keeping her face neutral. She never respected navy guys who made excuses for their behavior. They had relied on Helga to give them the most salient points instead of reading those 300 pages worth of rules they were handed. "That's my fault for not studying the law more carefully. We will plead guilty and throw ourselves at the mercy of the court."

The woman in burgundy leather smiled, but it was not the evil smile Katie encountered in the restaurants and clubs. She looked sincere. "That would be me."

Katie couldn't hide her surprise. "_You_'re a judge?"

"Upworlders are always surprised, but the truth is, we don't have much crime here because we deal with bad behavior before it gets out of hand. I am the sheriff, the judge, and the penal officer. And, as I said, I have decided not to charge you, only your male."

Okay, this sounded good. No waiting for trial. No legal mumbo-jumbo. Katie resisted the urge to ask how much the fine was so she could pay it and leave. It would sound too much like she thought her money would buy her way out, like she was above the law. "I appreciate your lenience."

She sighed and her smile faded. "We actually consider this a very serious offense. Being new here, you're probably not going to find it lenient. We usually take the right hand."

Wendy gasped. Katie's jaw dropped. "T-Take?"

"Yes, as in chop it off."

"For using a phone?"

Her face was solemn. "It's pretty difficult to use a phone again without a hand, isn't it?"

Katie was too stunned to reply for several seconds. Even when Ben was pulling his stupidest stunts, he'd never done anything worthy of this. How could she stop this idiocy? "Would you go any easier on him if you charged me too?" After all, she did tell them to get food. How could she let Ben pay for her mistake? Maybe if they punished two people moderately, they could avoid this harshness for one.

Wendy reached under the window, grasped the hand that was out of sight, and squeezed. She knew it was some kind of hint or warning, but she couldn't figure out what and it was pretty obvious Wendy couldn't just come out and say it. Just then, Katie remembered something Helga said: always frame arguments around female needs. Thinking fast, she added, "I mean, I need him to keep his hands. Handcuffs wouldn't stay on anymore and his best function is foot massages. He's practically useless without his hands."

The judge's brows slanted. She wasn't buying it. "Foot massages?"

"A demonstration might be in order," Wendy suggested. Katie caught her attention and Wendy indicated the judge with a tiny movement of her eyes.

"Yes, good idea, Lynx. Let him give _you_ a foot massage and see if his hands aren't golden." Katie hoped Ben really was exceptional. It wasn't like she'd had fifty other men try massaging her feet so she could compare and give him the medal on superior merit. He'd won it by default since no one else ever offered.

"This is not a bribe," the judge said.

Oy, that was all they needed—more trouble. "No, ma'am. You're testing my word to see if I'm lying to you."

She considered a moment, then gave a satisfied nod. "I'll go get him. Please wait here." She stood and turned toward a door marked, _Employees Only_.

Katie sucked in her breath and glanced at Wendy. Wendy watched the judge, waiting until she was well out of earshot. Katie also watched her. She caught sight of the prisoner area. It was nothing like the bright, clean waiting area. Everything was concrete and black iron bars. A prisoner stood in a barred cell with his hands chained to the ceiling. His back was turned, but Katie recognized the clothes she'd chosen for Ben. The judge started to unlock his hands.

Wendy whispered, "She wasn't planning to chop off his hand. She just said that so you wouldn't argue with what she _does_ want to do to him."

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure, but it's probably not anything reasonable like a fine."

"That obvious?"

"Sorry, Commander. You're practically screaming."

Katie gritted her teeth. "I _want_ to scream, all right. You really think the foot massage will help?"

"It could. She's lonely and she feels unappreciated here. Did you get the part about her being the penal officer? If she sentenced Ben to losing his hand, _she_ would have to chop it off personally. She doesn't want to, but can you imagine how bad it would look if some of the more prominent women of Juno found out that she was soft toward males? They'd fire her in a heartbeat. This job is all she has."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Oh heaven forbid they should have a fair and reasonable judge who isn't excited to chop off hands."

"Katie, no matter what we think of these people and their laws, most of them are happy here and most of them aren't hurting anyone." She stopped and then amended, "Well, not hurting anyone who doesn't _want_ to be hurt. How many colonies this size have jails this empty?"

She smirked. "You didn't see the mines. _That's_ where all the criminals are!"

Wendy looked like she wanted to say more, but the judge was coming back with Ben. His wrists were bound in thick manacles held together by a high security padlock. He wasn't walking very well and if Katie didn't know better, she'd have thought he'd been drinking. She knew it was trepidation hindering his steps. His face and eyes looked remorseful, but there was also some fear hiding back there. "I'm sorry, Lady Katerina," Ben said in a truly apologetic voice.

"Don't be. You did what I ordered you to do. This is _my_ fault."

Ben wanted to argue with her. She didn't have to be psychic to see that. But he somehow swallowed all his objections and shut his mouth.

Katie addressed the judge. "He's not going to run away. Can you take the chains off so he can do this properly?"

Ben looked back and forth with confusion written on his features.

The judge fiddled with a set of keys while Katie offered a little explanation to Ben, keeping her voice serious. "I told the sheriff that I want your hand to stay attached to your wrist because of your skill at giving foot massages. You are going to prove whether or not I'm a liar. I suggest you give her the best massage you've ever done," she narrowed her eyes on him and spoke in a stilted way to emphasize her words, "like keeping your hand depends on it."

At first, his jaw dropped, just as hers had. He couldn't fathom such a severe punishment for using a vid-link. But he never stopped listening and when she finished, he nodded emphatically. "Yes, ma'am."

The judge added her own admonition. "If you make me run after you, you'll lose more than a hand, boy."

He gulped hard and nodded. The sheriff/judge removed the padlock between the shackles, but she left them on his wrists. Ben didn't even seem to care. Maybe he was thinking that as long as he had some iron covering his wrists, it would be harder to chop his hands off. The sheriff seated herself in one of the big upholstered chairs in the waiting room and then just watched.

Ben looked at her, then at Katie. She thought she knew what was wrong, so she spoke for him. "He doesn't know whether he would offend you to talk right now. Is it all right if he approaches you, ma'am?"

She smiled. "Yes, he may. Thank you for asking first."

Ben covered the three steps between her and him, dropped straight to his knees on the floor, and then paused again. "May I touch your feet?"

"Yes," she said again. Not quite exasperated with him yet, but Ben was probably overdoing it. Katie made ready to kick him if he pushed it.

He removed her shoes carefully and set them aside. This was the first female Katie had seen who didn't wear super-high heels or spikes. They were ankle boots with a very modest heel. She could walk a beat or chase a thief in those easily.

Katie exchanged a glance with Wendy. The doctor nodded her assurance that this was going well despite how ridiculous it all seemed. The navy engineer believed her empathic companion that the sheriff didn't want to take Ben's hand off, but she was more than a little worried about the alternative. What other punishment would placate the influential women who thought severing a limb from an innocent man was a good idea?

Ben started his massage and the judge closed her eyes and enjoyed his ministrations. Katie tried to control her feelings of jealousy. She wanted Ben to do this better for the judge than he'd ever done before, didn't she? With no sounds in the room but the aquarium aerator and the ticking of the grandfather clock, her mind stuck on that question and wouldn't let go. No, she did _not _want Ben to give his best to this woman. She wanted him to prove she hadn't been lying and she wanted the judge to become endeared enough that she would find another punishment for him, but she did _not_ want this judge liking Ben too much. What if her alternative to hand-chopping was to buy him herself? Even if Katie could be convinced the judge would never hurt him (which couldn't happen on Juno) and even if Ben agreed to it without coercion, Katie didn't like it. Ben was _hers _and she wasn't sharing him.

It also occurred to her that Ben was only mediocre as a foot masseuse and her assertion otherwise would make her now suspect and throw the whole possibility of a limb-severing back into motion. Katie started to make plans for what to do. If she said, "Operation Wolfman" to Wendy, the doctor would relay it to Captain Bridger through Mary, assuming she already had a psychic connection (and Katie didn't think Wendy was stupid enough to have let Mary drop off while she was in the middle of a crisis like this). Bridger would call Nick back on Node 3 and call in that offer to black-out Juno's power. With the lights out and no power to close the doors in the jail and the mine, she and Wendy could grab Ben while Tim grabbed Lucas and hopefully all of them could get back to _Splendor_ without being apprehended. Hopefully.

The trickiest part to all this would be closing the docking hatches so that they could leave without flooding the entire colony and killing nearly fifteen thousand people. _Splendor_ had manual hatch control, but she had no idea whether Juno's docking collar had a manual over-ride, and if so, where the manual control might be. Lucas might be able to figure it out if he could get to one of the colony's computers, but if the colony was blacked-out, all its computers would be useless. Besides, she couldn't risk Lucas touching a computer. The penalty for that had to be just as bad or worse than calling for pizza, even if his motive was to save their sorry excuse for a colony from becoming a fishbowl.

Operation Wolfman was risky and messy and would probably cause repercussions in the UEO, so it was the last resort, to be used only if things went sour. By her reckoning, anyone being sentenced to losing a hand qualified as sour. Katie stared at Ben's hands, watching the sinews flex as his fingers did their dance. The judge sighed contentedly and Ben grinned.

"You may start on the other foot," she said.

Ben set her happy foot down and picked up the other one. He had to be doing a fairly decent job or she would have made him stop, right? Katie resisted the urge to look at the grandfather clock. She didn't want the judge to realize how impatient she was. She did sneak a glance at Wendy. The doctor looked preoccupied, like maybe she was trying to read the judge with her empathic senses, or perhaps she was carrying on some unknown conversation with Mary and/or Tim. Katie had a small attack of conscience for how abruptly she had ordered Tim back into the mines before she ran off to come here. She'd seen how awful the conditions were behind that reception door; she'd heard the whips cracking and seen how hard the work was. While she would never have guessed that the city jail would be so much better, she could have shown a little more appreciation for what Tim was sacrificing for Lucas. She hoped Kristin had done a better job encouraging him than she had.

Katie was lost in thought when the judge looked up from her chair. "You're right. His hands need to stay where they are. But that leaves me to find an alternative that is perceived as equivalent."

_Let me pay_, Katie prayed. Wendy's hand found her back and rested there, probably not coincidentally.

The judge looked down at Ben who was quietly replacing her shoes on her feet. "Bootlicker, you pled guilty and you tried to protect your mistress by saying it was _your_ idea when two women have confirmed you were ordered. I believe you acted in ignorance and not with intent to malign. Therefore, I suspend the hand severing and sentence you to a caning of thirty strokes. If the offense is ever repeated, the suspended sentence would be carried out in addition to another penalty. You understand this? You touch another vid-link console, radio, cell phone, or computer terminal, and you would lose _both_ hands."

Ben swallowed and then nodded solemnly. "I understand. Thank you." He bent over and kissed the booted foot he held in his hand. Katie couldn't believe he didn't try to talk his way out of the caning.

"God, he's charming," the judge said to Katie.

_Yes, he is. And __**you**__ want to beat him with a stick_. Could she stop it? Should she try? Ben hadn't tried to change her mind. Did that mean he was simply too scared to, or that he expected her to argue on his behalf? She was supposed to be the bad-ass dominatrix who beat Jonathan for his birthday. It would be logical for her to want to do it, right? And if she just _happened_ to hit him with a little less force than someone else would, then no one would be the wiser, would they? "Your Honor," Katie said as respectfully as she could, "would it be possible for _me_ to carry out his sentence?"

The sheriff shook her head. "I'm sorry, no. But you can name a third party, subject to my approval. Even if I agree, I'll stop it if it looks like your chosen agent is being easy on him. Then I'd have to start over…" She gave a knowing look. "And the count goes back to one."

Wendy cut in immediately: "Scarlet."

Katie bit back a smile. This was brilliant. Who better to make sure Ben didn't get really hurt but a doctor? Wendy probably could have done it, but she'd been playing the easy-going, motherly type since they arrived. The judge wouldn't have bought Madam Lynx being sadistic enough. She wasn't even accepting her suggestion, but eyed both women with a suspicious frown.

"Is that a friend of yours?"

Ben cleared his throat. "She may be Lady Katerina's friend, but she's hated my guts for years, ever since I ate her lobster."

"You _what_?" Katie questioned with outrage. She didn't think it could have been true, but she had to support whatever he was trying to pull.

Ben looked down contritely. "It happened back when I was in the Navy, before you owned me. She's never forgiven me for it." He looked at the judge. "I think I'd rather have you do the caning. I saw what Scarlet did to Tim—uh, I mean Puppy." Now Katie understood. He was bolstering Dr. Westphalen's reputation so the judge would accept her.

The judge looked at Katie and Wendy again. "What did she do to Puppy?"

Katie shrugged like it was no big deal. "Why don't you call down to the mines and get Lady Rita to snap a pic of his back for you? Scarlet was checking him in there when I left her." She flashed Wendy a pointed look, hoping it communicated the need for her to relay a message to Tim to change his cover story. Kristin would probably flip when this all made it to her, but she'd have to agree this was best for Ben. Wendy gave a very minute nod to show Katie she understood. No wonder Bridger had kept his telepathic team members a secret. It was so elegant to be able to do this right under the enemy's nose without any devices or outward signs.

The judge stood. "Yes, I think I'll do that. Excuse me." She re-locked Ben's shackles together and led him toward the _Employees Only_ door. Ben cast a glance behind him as he was ushered away. His eyes met Katie's and he smiled. If there was any fear in his face, she couldn't find it.


	14. Chapter 53 Chain Gang

**Chapter 53**

Tim had convinced Dr. Westphalen to wait in the hall after Hitchcock left because Gianna was still in the reception area. He really didn't want to try to keep the two women from killing each other and stay in character at the same time. Hitchcock said Lucas would only have to stay one more night and it looked like they'd get Lucas back after that, so this was not the time to go antagonizing the woman who held his life in her hands.

Scarlet positioned herself behind Tim, so he blocked her view when the woman finally barged out of Reception and stormed down the hall. Scarlet grabbed Tim's forearms and whispered, "Hold me back."

Tim grasped her lightly, just as a show of support. Despite appearing weak, the doctor had herself under control and didn't really need him to physically restrain her. Tim's back was turned, so he couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed like Gianna completely ignored them. Scarlet let go and gathered her wits even as she straightened her black widow necklace. Her voice had returned to its proper British manner when she spoke. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"No problem." He cast a glance toward the sky blue door. "You ready to go back in?"

She nodded. "I'm ready. Are you sure you _want_ to go back?"

He searched her face. Dr. Westphalen couldn't stand the thought of Lucas alone in there any more than he could, but she couldn't go in, and no one else was better suited than he was. Still, she'd try to find another volunteer if he balked. For some reason though, Tim found he wasn't really that afraid. No, it wasn't a picnic in there, but the women guards weren't beating anyone to the point of collapse, nor were there any guillotines or guys losing their eardrums. And it was just one more day. Of all the dangers he'd ever imagined on all the rescue missions he'd been left out of, this was really pretty minor. Tim smiled. "Absolutely."

She smiled back. "Thank you." She indicated the door with a sweep of her hand and Tim opened it for her.

Rita was waiting behind the counter. "I'm sorry we couldn't get Gianna to sell him." Tim didn't trust this woman completely, but her concern for Lucas seemed genuine.

Scarlet spoke next. "How close can you allow Puppy to be to him?"

"I can shackle them together if you want." She said this like she assumed they would object.

Tim could feel Dr. Westphalen's eagerness, but he could also tell she was trying to sound neutral when she consulted him. "Puppy?"

He balled his fists and offered both hands like a criminal surrender. "Do it."

Rita smiled and shook her head lightly. "It would figure Lucas has good friends. I really hope you can help him. He's a sweet young man and I hated seeing him stuck here." She closed an iron shackle around Tim's left wrist. An empty shackle dangled from it. "I'm going to put you both on hauling, so you won't have to dig anymore. However, once you're together, it'll be more obvious if you start shirking."

"I'll make sure we don't get in trouble." His promise was meant to assure the doctor, but he pretended it was for the overseer.

Scarlet leaned in and kissed Tim's cheek. "That's for Lucas," she whispered. Sheesh. Tim had seen her kiss Lucas herself not ten minutes ago. He was _not_ going to pass that along. Nuh-uh. He wasn't even sure he would tell him about it. He felt his cheeks heating. Scarlet gently turned his face and kissed the other cheek. "And that's for you."

He didn't know what to say or do, so he just stood there dumbfounded.

Rita laughed at him. Surely he looked ridiculous with lipstick marks on both cheeks. He'd have to cover it with dirt when he got back into the mine. "Scarlet, did you know that you just protected him from getting his face slapped?"

Dr. Westphalen crossed her arms and smiled in that unreadable way of hers that could translate, _of course I knew, you imbecile_, as well as, _I had no idea, but so much the better_. Tim had a feeling her ambiguity was fully intentional. But Rita's revelation also meant he'd better not try to cover his 'protection marks' with dirt. He wondered whether Mary would be able to feel his embarrassment the next time they connected. What was he going to say? 'Yes, dear, I've got lipstick on my dog collar because the captain's wife kissed me and the prison warden said it was a protective talisman, so I left her lip imprint where everyone can see it as I'm walking around in my toga.'? _Wendy, put me down for the first counseling session you have open when we get back_, he Transmitted only half-jokingly.

Wendy didn't answer. She was probably still with Ben at the sheriff's station. She'd seemed pretty nervous about the situation when she asked Tim to relay the message to Hitchcock. The commander had to be close to there by now. Tim knew Mary would fill him in as soon as she heard anything from Wendy.

Rita led him out of Reception and back to Solitary Confinement, where Lucas waited. She spoke first. "Gianna probably would have a fit if she knew what I'm doing, but she only said you couldn't talk to Katerina, not another inmate."

Tim extended his shackled hand so Lucas could see what they were talking about. To his surprise, Lucas hopped up and aligned his right hand with Tim's left, shoved his wrist inside the open shackle and snapped it shut himself. "Now you're really stuck with me," the teen said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

Although Tim appreciated the levity, he couldn't let Lucas think this was going to be fun. "Yes, and that means we have to work harder so we don't both get beaten."

Lucas swallowed hard and nodded. He understood.

Rita led them to an overseer named Mistress Carmen. Lucas evidently had been working for her previously. "This is Puppy. He and Cupcake are both my special projects. Since they have to be together anyway, you can put them on the bigger rocks."

"These two string beans? Honey, they don't look like they could pick up a small rock even working together. Why don't you ever pick some muscular guys for your dumb projects?"

"I like the scrawny ones. Come on. Cupcake wasn't doing so bad by himself. This can only make it better."

_Scrawny ones? _Tim had half a mind to look for the biggest rocks just to make her eat those words. But he knew better than to take them seriously. Helga told them that everything was about acting and theatrics. He wondered if Lucas had figured that out yet.

Finally, Rita left them and Carmen smacked Tim's bare thigh with her strap. It stung a bit, but that wasn't as bad as the humiliation of running around in this short toga to begin with. He was just glad it had been him and not Lucas. He'd try to get in the way of a blow if he possibly could, but if Carmen really wanted to target the teen, Tim knew it wouldn't be easy to stop it. Right now she didn't care. That slap was just a general 'hey you two, get to work' smack.

Tim didn't waste any time doing just that and dragging Lucas along with him. Lucas told him earlier that he'd been getting lots of breaks and it looked like Tim was going to get them with him, but he didn't want to impose on Rita's good will. She could only be nice as long as they were behaving well enough that she didn't look bad. Tim was just glad to be off the digging detail. Hauling rocks was a lot easier. Now that Lucas didn't have a gag in his mouth, they could talk while they were working. Curiously, though, Lucas didn't seem eager to talk.

Something didn't seem right, and Tim wasn't sure he should ask about it. He had every right to be scared and frustrated and cranky and furious. But he had never seemed the type to brood in silence. "You know, I won't tell anybody if you want to complain. It's just us. I'm not even talking to Mary right now."

"It's stupid."

"Yeah, this whole colony is stupid. I don't blame you for feeling that."

"No, I mean, I shouldn't be mad about this one thing."

"What?"

"All this crap is over a stupid ten thousand dollars, Tim! I mean, I have that much in savings. Even my parents would have paid that much."

Tim had to bite his lips to keep from smiling. Lucas was _insulted_ over his asking price! It was really rather funny, and he considered not telling him the truth, but Lucas had been through too much to be allowed to think it was all over such a pittance. "Lucas, they don't use dollars here. They use a gold currency system like the Kruggerand. When they say, 'ten thousand' they mean ten thousand one-quarter-ounce gold coins. In other words, 2500 ounces of gold. Do you know how much gold is worth per ounce?"

He could see the truth dawning in the teen's eyes as he realized his price was a lot more than he'd thought. "Oh," was all he said for a few seconds. "And Katie is going to just pay it, isn't she?"

Tim chuckled. "Your friend Nick helped her put some money in Dr. Westphalen's and Dr. Smith's accounts so any of them could buy you. We didn't know if Gianna might have already sold you before we got here."

"I'm really going to owe her big."

Tim resisted mentioning that Lucas probably owed some others too, maybe even more than he would owe her. Hitchcock didn't get herself pierced or cut her hair and her costume wasn't even that bad. None of the women had to sign away their rights and become property just to get in the door. But none of them were doing this in order to hold it over him. He should soften Lucas's burden, not intensify it. "You know that owning thing is an act, right? She only wants to buy you so she can _free_ you."

He nodded. And then, like a floodgate had been opened, he started talking again. He asked first about Darwin and all the scuttlebutt he'd missed on _seaQuest_ since he left. The poor kid didn't even know what day it was. Tim got tired of talking, but he couldn't refuse Lucas's thirst for information. He was in the middle of trying to explain one of the new moves Shan had taught him when he heard Wendy's voice in his mind. _Tim, we need you to change your cover story_, she said in a rush. _Scarlet didn't rescue you from an abusive mistress. __**She**__ did the damage on your back herself._

_So why didn't I leave her?_

_Doesn't matter. Make something up. Maybe you thought you deserved it. You don't have to explain unless someone asks and they probably won't care. Ben's been sentenced to a caning and we've got to convince a judge that Scarlet is sadistic enough to be allowed to carry out his sentence. Using your scars was Ben's idea. He'd rather have a doctor who knows how to minimize the damage and actually cares about him do this than someone who's out for blood and pain. Rita should be coming to take a picture of your back. Play along, okay?_

Tim nodded despite knowing she couldn't detect it. Lucas was going to think him loony._ I can do that, but who's going to tell Dr. Westphalen? I'm chained to Lucas in the mine and she already left._

_Don't worry about it. I can call Kristin from my vid-cell. She's probably back to __**Splendor**__ by now. She's not going to be happy about this, but I think we all need to do what's best for Ben, whether we like the idea or not._

_Affirmative, Doctor. Scarlet left the scars. _He was glad he didn't have to tell Dr. Westphalen.

_Thanks, Tim. How are you and Lucas doing?_

"Dr. Smith wants to know how you're doing," Tim whispered to his chain-gang companion.

Lucas raised his voice a little, probably assuming he'd be overheard. "Tell her I'm a basket case and will need tons of counseling when this is over. Her job is secure for at least two more tours."

Tim smirked. "She heard that."

"Good. But I thought you weren't talking to Mary?" He grinned like he thought he'd caught Tim in a lie.

"I wasn't. Wendy just called. Seems Rita is going to come take pictures of my back and I've got to pretend Scarlet left the scars."

"What? No way. Dr. Westphalen could never do that."

"Don't let Rita hear you say that or Ben could pay the price."

"Huh?"

"He got arrested for using a public vid-link terminal. He's been sentenced to caning. If they can convince the judge that Scarlet is capable, then they'll let her do it. She's a doctor. She can make sure he doesn't get seriously hurt."

"What's caning?"

"Beating with a stick."

Lucas's eyes went wide. "B-Beating?"

Tim sighed. "That's what Wendy just told me."

"But with a _cane_?"

"Not the kind old people use for walking. It's thinner, like what they used on Wendy's feet."

Lucas gulped. "Could it kill him?"

Tim shrugged. "I don't know how many strokes it's supposed to be. But it's got to be safer if Dr. Westphalen does it."

Rita walked up just then. "Puppy, I've been instructed to take a picture of your back, but I don't have Domina Scarlet's permission. Should I call her or will you submit?"

Tim straightened his back and stood erect. "I submit."

"Are you sure? She seemed very protective of you."

"That's only because she wants to do all the beating herself. She loves showing off her handiwork." Tim knew it sounded lame and Rita probably wouldn't believe him. He really needed more time than this to come up with better lies.

Rita didn't call him on it. Maybe she really was on their side.

"Where do you want me?" Tim asked. There wasn't much light for pictures.

"Here is fine. I have a flash."

Tim nodded and started fumbling with the shoulder buttons that held his toga up. The left side was easy enough, but Lucas's arm wasn't long enough to give him reach for the right side.

"Here, let me," Rita said.

How many years had he wished he could get a girl to offer to undress him? Yet now whole idea made him sick and embarrassed. He swallowed his disdain and nodded.

Rita unbuttoned the shoulder and the top of the toga fell. Tim turned around quickly. He hated having anyone look at his white chest. If she made one more 'scrawny' remark, he was thinking it might be worth some punishment to get in a retort—if only he could think of one. But she didn't say anything. With one hand, Tim kept the toga from falling lower than the waist, and he let his chained hand fall free so Lucas had slack.

A cell camera clicked electronically a few times. "Done," Rita said. "I don't think I've ever seen scars that bad."

"Well, they don't call her 'Scarlet' for nothing," Lucas put in.

She reached over Tim's back, grabbed the shoulder of the toga, and refastened the buttons from behind him this time. Tim did the other shoulder at the same time.

"You guys still have another hour before I take you back to Solitary. Get back to work."

"Yes, ma'am," Lucas and Tim chorused.


	15. Chapter 54 Scarlet's Dilemma

**Chapter 54**

When Kristin made it into artificial sunlight, she was an emotional mess. Yes, she'd seen Lucas, embraced him, and spoken to him privately. But then she had to leave him behind. It was even harder than leaving him with that mother of his. Thank goodness Tim had been willing to go back into that hellhole with him. She couldn't have left Lucas in that awful mine alone despite how incredibly brave and mature he was being about the whole ordeal.

She had seriously considered calling her husband and asking him to circle _seaQuest_ right outside the dome where everyone would see it and threaten to blow the whole wretched colony to kingdom come if they didn't hand Lucas over and let them all leave. Of course, she knew Nathan couldn't do it, so she wouldn't force him to say no by asking, but she sure _wanted_ to.

Kristin wasn't sure what to expect when she got back to _Splendor_. She knew the men were all alone and everyone had to be worried about what was happening with Ben. She wanted to run to the sheriff's office and get some answers. But Katie was right. It was too dangerous to leave men alone anywhere on this colony, even on a docked submarine. She found Docking Bay Roma and Collar 3, but it had been sealed. She couldn't tell whether the metal barring her entry was Juno's seal or _Splendor_'s. She knocked, but her knuckles didn't make much sound on the thick steel.

"Who is it?" came the faint but recognizable voice of Commander Ford.

Kristin looked around to be sure no one would overhear because she was really beginning to hate all this undercover mistress nonsense. Seeing no one, she nevertheless lowered her voice. "It's Dr. Westphalen, Commander."

The metal retracted into _Splendor_'s hull and Ford stood next to the circular opening with his finger on the hatch control. "How's Lucas?" were the first words out of his mouth.

She gave him a half-hearted smile as she ducked inside. "He's holding up remarkably well. Already made friends with a guard and caught on to Katie's strategy before we even got there. He and Lieutenant O'Neill are literally chained together right now."

Ford quirked a brow at that, but he nodded without comment.

"Katie thinks she can possibly buy him Thursday. I didn't get a chance to ask what Gianna said because as soon as Katie was done talking to that infernal kidnapper, she had to run off to the sheriff's station. Have you heard anything about Ben yet?"

Ford shook his head.

"How about food, then? Do we have anything on board?"

"Negative. Hitchcock apparently didn't go grocery shopping."

"She flew from Hawaii to New York to South Africa in less than twenty-four hours, costume shopped for nine people, and bought this submarine right out of the shipyard. I suppose I can understand how she didn't get around to stocking the pantry."

"Krieg said he wanted to, but Katie didn't want to take the time."

Kristin sighed softly. "She was thinking of Lucas. No one could have foreseen that ordering a pizza would cause trouble."

"I'd offer to go get something, but…"

She let her voice acquire an authoritative edge. "No way you're going anywhere, Commander. Not without a female escort. What kind of pizza did everyone want? I'll order it."

"It's just five of us. I think two large pizzas ought to do it. One pepperoni, one with the works?"

She shook her head. "Ben, Katie, and Wendy will be back eventually. We should get enough for them to eat too."

Jonathan's eyes betrayed that he wasn't so sure Ben would be back, but he didn't argue. "Add a plain cheese one then. Everybody's bound to like at least one of those."

Kristin whipped out her vid-cell and looked through the colony directory to find a pizza delivery service. She connected on the second ring with a dark-haired woman. "Parnelli's Pizza. How may I help you?"

"I need three pizzas delivered to Collar 3, Docking Bay Roma."

"_Splendor of the Sea_?"

_How did she know?_ "Yes, that's it."

"I'm sorry I had to report that other guy who called, but if someone from coms found out a male was making a call and I didn't report it, I could have been cited too."

Just her luck she'd call the same pizza joint. Kristin had a couple of well-chosen words she wanted to exchange with this snitch, but she was tired and hungry and just wanted to get out of her boots. She waved it away. "Bootlicker isn't one of mine, and I wasn't here at the time, so I don't really care."

"Do you want the same order? I saved it just in case."

Ben had probably polled everyone and asked exactly what they wanted, which meant his order was probably more likely to please than what she and Jonathan guessed would suffice. "Did he order at least three pizzas?"

"Three pizzas, three orders of buffalo wings, and bread sticks for ten."

"Perfect. How long will it take?"

"Ordinarily, thirty to forty minutes, but I had this order standing by just in case. It'll be there in fifteen."

"Please tell me it won't break any laws to let a male accept delivery and pay. I want to take a shower."

"Of course, as long as it's cash. You obviously wouldn't give a male access to a debit account anyway."

Kristin wanted to roll her eyes. It was all right to hand over a bunch of inherently valuable silver and bronze coins, but fingerprint scans which were much easier to track were frowned upon? She feigned agreement. "Obviously. What's the total?"

"Twenty-one dupondii, forty semis."

"And what is the customary gratuity?"

"I use a slave to deliver. Giving him a tip would be an insult to _me_."

She played dumb tourist. "Thank you for informing me. Please do make sure your male can make change then." She was pretty sure they had enough coins not to need it, but the women here liked to speak derogatorily of males as a matter of course and she wanted to make up for the tip suggestion.

The pizza woman irised out. Kristin muttered, "Idiots," as she folded up the device. "I ought to leave a one-copper tip just so she _will_ be insulted."

Ford gave her a curious look. "That can be arranged."

She chuckled. "Fun as it might be, maybe we should play nice in their sandbox, at least while they hold Lucas and Ben."

He nodded as he headed to the petty cash box, sitting on a table in the lounge area.

Kristin felt a pang of loss in mentioning Ben's name. She'd missed their old Supply and Morale officer more than she had thought. He would have found a way to slip a penny in the pizza guy's leather Speedo just for the satisfaction of pulling it off. He'd offered to tamper with those stupid snail fossils Scott Keller brought back from Mars just because they represented a loss of research funds to her. Making escargot had been a joke, of course, but one she'd really appreciated at the time.

Her vid-cell vibrated in her hand. She opened it to see Wendy was calling. Good. They'd get some news. "It's Dr. Smith," she announced to no one in particular just before she hit the button to take the call. She felt the four men converging into the room, just as anxious as she was to hear what was going on.

Wendy's face looked weary and sad. Kristin had a really bad feeling about this. "What's the matter, Wendy? What's happening with Ben?"

"He's been sentenced to caning. Thirty strokes," she said solemnly.

"Good heavens. Barbarians. Is there no way we can get them to be lenient?"

"That _is_ the lenience. The normal sentence is to chop off his hand."

Kristin gasped. Poor Ben. And poor Katie; she had to feel terrible. "When is it going to be carried out?"

Wendy had a sort of pained smirk on her face. "That depends. How fast can you get here?"

People who cut off hands and caned people for minor offenses surely wouldn't wait for a doctor, and even if they would, Wendy was already there. She narrowed her eyes at the tiny vid-screen. "Why?"

Wendy sighed. "Katie asked if she could do it, but the judge refused. It was Ben's idea to see if she'd let _you_ do it. He told the judge that _you_ whipped Tim so that they'd think you were capable."

"He did _what_?" _That little sneak_. Inwardly, she had to admire his quick thinking.

Wendy nodded. "He really played it up too. Said you've hated his guts for years, ever since he ate your lobsters. Whatever that means."

Kristin had to smile then. She'd forgotten all about the lobsters. Sure, she'd been angry when she first discovered them missing from the galley and she'd even been a little mad when he confessed in the middle of a hurricane, but to hold a grudge all these years over one silly experiment? Ben knew better. She'd forgiven him on that storm-tossed raft and they'd both laughed about it. "I can't do this. It's against everything I believe in."

Wendy's face hardened. "Like hell it is, Doctor. You know anatomy and physiology. You know where to hit him and how hard. If you refuse, then someone else will do it—someone who only cares about making him suffer as much as possible. _Not_ doing it would mean doing him harm and I know you're too old school to take your Oath that lightly."

Kristin was furious at her for bringing Hippocrates into this. And she was furious that her supposed "assistant" was this insubordinate. But most of all, she was furious that Wendy was right. Kristin sighed heavily. "You're right. I'll do it."

"There's a transdermal morphine patch in my kit if you didn't bring one. We can't put it on before or he'll be too loopy and they won't buy it if he's not screaming. But we can sneak it on when it's over."

Kristin knew Wendy had had way too much experience with watching crew members get beaten. "You should treat him afterward," Kristin said glumly. "That way, he can direct his hate at me."

She shook her head. "He knows you'd be helping or he wouldn't have lied to get you to do it."

"It's not going to _feel_ like I'm helping him at all. It's going to _feel_ like I'm beating the stuffing out of him."

"I'll see if they'll let me 'hold him down'. I can do a little pain management empathically if he'll let me, but I'll be sure he understands that you're doing him a favor."

She nodded resignedly.

"I told Tim the new cover story and he's on board with us. The judge called down to get some pictures. We need you to come to the sheriff station, acting like you're hungry for blood."

Kristin didn't want to do this—not now, not in an hour, not ever. But if it had to be done, then they'd best be getting on with it. The anticipation had to be killing Ben as it was. "I'll be there as fast as I can."

Wendy's face disappeared and Kristin put her vid-cell down. All four men were staring at her. She wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Since that wasn't an option, she tried self-deprecating humor. "Well, so much for being the compassionate rescue lady."

"Doctor, we heard both sides of the conversation," Jonathan said. "You're doing the right thing." The others nodded.

"Will everyone be all right here? The food should be here soon and I made sure one of you could take delivery." Too bad her planned shower was going to have to wait.

"I don't think anyone cares about food anymore," Shan said.

"Doc, can I go with ya?" Tony asked. His face was appropriately grave. He wasn't thinking this was a field trip.

"Why, Tony?"

He shrugged. "Cuz I'm 'sposed to be lookin' out for ya? I dunno. I'm your slave, right? Maybe I can act scared of you so they think you're mean. Or maybe Ben won't be walkin' back and you're gonna need someone ta help carry him."

"Good idea, Piccolo," Jonathan said. "But it'll take two people to carry a litter. I'm going too."

Kristin wasn't even sure it was a good idea to bring Tony, but Jonathan too? Surely they didn't want to watch her beat poor Ben. Nathan had told her that the crazy Frenchman who held them captive had forced them to watch each others' tortures and that had been worse than their own turns. But that gave her an idea. "One condition, Commander. _You_ will see to it that Katie doesn't watch this. Ask her nicely and if that doesn't work, throw a jealous fit because Ben didn't have to wait for his birthday. I don't care how you do it, but I really don't want her there."

Jonathan nodded. "Deal." He turned to Brody. "Everyone is going to be hungry when we get back, so don't eat all the pizza."

Brody exchanged looks with Shan. They both shook their heads. "We'll wait."

Kristin took Jonathan aside. "Do you know where Ben left the clothes he was wearing before the costume? He's probably not going to want any tight pants for a while."

Jonathan nodded and headed off to the stateroom Ben and Katie had shared. He emerged with a paper shopping bag from some specialty leather store in New York.

Meanwhile, Shan found the map of the colony in the sub's computer and displayed it on the big vid-screen in the lounge area. He even highlighted a route from the docking bay to the sheriff's station so they could all see how to get there.

Kristin studied the map for a moment, but it wasn't very hard to get to, especially since they'd already been all over the colony already, looking for Lucas.

"Lock the hatch after us," Ford said. "And don't open it for anyone but the pizza delivery guy."

"Aye, sir," Brody answered.

"Oh, and just in case it comes up, I concur with that order," Kristin said. She'd never feel the need to back him up on _seaQuest_, but one couldn't be too careful here. Shan and Brody both nodded.

The three of them left _Splendor_ and took off toward the sheriff station. The men walked behind Kristin at a distance of five feet, since they'd discovered everyone else did that. She couldn't see them and she hated it. Either one of them could get snatched away right on the street. Tony had been extremely popular wherever they went and while she hadn't seen how well Jonathan did with the rest of the colonists, she remembered Helga saying that his dark skin and impeccable physique would make him quite the prize too. Kristin consoled herself with the fact that they would be watching out for each other and it was highly unlikely that anyone would try to grab both of them at the same time.

The sheriff's station didn't look like any police office she'd ever seen anywhere. It was more like Buckingham Palace than Scotland Yard. She couldn't help thinking how all that beautiful landscaping and luxurious furnishings couldn't hide the corruption of justice at its heart. She was here to beat Ben for using a public vid-link terminal. Not for trying to steal its technology, or to use it in an attempt to contact the outside world or to incite a Spartacus rebellion. No, he ordered some food at the request of a woman who _owned_ him. And for that, they wanted him punished in this barbaric and brutal fashion.

Corporal punishment was outlawed as a judicial penalty in the UEO. Indeed, that was one of Kristin's personal criteria for whether a culture was worthy of the label civilized. That wasn't to say that the practice had totally disappeared from all use, even in the most civilized nations. England still had many venerable private schools that employed corporal punishment.

She didn't generally share with anyone that she'd done a bit of research on this topic while she was an undergraduate. It hadn't ever come up in conversation, so she hadn't even mentioned it to Nathan. She'd never published her findings either, so it wasn't in any of her background history and certainly not in her resume. But Wendy had been more correct than she could have known (unless she'd violated her mind, but Kristin didn't think that was the case). While the schools where she did her research surely didn't rival the brutality of caning in its judicial setting, she did pick up a few things, not only about what part of the human anatomy she should aim for, but what part of the cane she should allow to make contact. She knew what caused immediate sting but not as much lasting damage was well as what didn't hurt so much at the time, but later developed bruises that could last weeks. And she knew how to make plenty of noise to make it "look good" without doing as much damage.

Unfortunately, Ben would have to get some of each. This judge would want to see immediate welts and hear lots of screaming, but Kristin could mix in a little of the less-stinging but loud smacks in so he'd have a little respite. However, it would mean a lot of ugliness later. If Ben didn't want to kill her after this, Katie probably would. At least Wendy had agreed to let her doctor him afterwards. That was why Kristin had studied all this to begin with. Not to administer punishment, but to treat the wounds afterwards. Ben would need more than a morphine patch to get through this.

Katie and Wendy met them in what looked like a plastic surgeon's waiting lounge. They held concern in their eyes, but they didn't speak what was on their hearts. Katie's eyes said, _Thank you for coming, Doctor. I love Ben and you're the only one who can help him. I know you hate this, but please do it for Ben. I'll be forever grateful._ Wendy's eyes said, _You're a strong woman and you can pull this off. Just watch out for the judge over there. She's not playing games_. Kristin had to chuckle to herself. Her empathic assistant was rubbing off on her. She'd be reading minds herself if this kept up.

"Why did you bring Ebony?" Katie asked with an edge of reprimand in her tone.

Kristin took a deep breath and threw Doctor Kristin Westphalen out of her body completely and let Domina Scarlet take over. "Excuse me? You took me away from buffalo wings and breadsticks, asked me to march all the way over here when my feet were already killing me, so I could finally beat the crap out of that idiot Bootlicker, and now you think I should have to carry his bloody carcass out of here myself? Screw that. If you don't want Ebony to do the hauling, then do it your own damned self."

Katie's lip quivered with what had to be suppressed laughter, but it played well as wounded friend. "Sorry, Scarlet. I wasn't thinking."

Kristin turned to the only other person in the room, or rather, in an adjoining office with a large opening that made it effectively the same room for purposes of seeing and hearing what was happening. "Are you the judge? What do I have to do?"

Despite being a judge in this misandrist gynocracy, her tone was peaceful and calm when she spoke. "First, you need to convince me that you're not biased in some way that will compromise an effective punishment."

Kristin grinned maliciously. "Oh please. I'm British." Like that settled it. Kristin wouldn't accept such an argument, but she knew Americans tended to attach great weight to it. Like every upstanding Brit had once served as Headmistress of an all-girls' boarding school where she honed her discipline skills right before donning the red leather and enslaving men.

The judge nodded. "Yes, I've heard. I've also checked into your visa. You're a medical doctor, right?"

She shrugged. "Yes. Which means I know exactly how I can kill him in under thirty strokes."

"Scarlet, I want him back alive," Katerina said. Her objection was of course genuine, but she colored it with a humorous tone so she wouldn't appear inordinately fond of a piece of property. "He's the best foot masseuse I've ever had."

The judge looked at Katie. "This isn't a death sentence, ladies. Katerina, you do not have to accept your friend as a substitute. I can carry out the caning without bias."

Panic flashed in Katie's eyes. She sighed. "I promised Scarlet a good time here and so far, she's been stuck helping me with a nasty acquisition. She's not going to kill him…" she glanced at Kristin, "are you?"

"Well, since I _am_ your guest, I'll leave him alive if you promise me at least a month's worth of free foot massages from him."

"Done." She looked back at the judge. "I accept her if you do."

The judge looked back and forth between Katie and Kristin. "Based on the photographs Lady Rita sent me of your pet, Puppy, I accept that you're capable of carrying out the sentence. But I must warn you: if, at any time, and I mean even if it is the twenty-ninth stroke, I get the slightest inkling that you're holding back, then I will revoke you as an acceptable substitute and when I take over, the law says I must start the count over. Are you prepared to give him thirty full-force strokes so he doesn't have to receive any more than the proper sentence?"

Did this judge actually _care_ about Ben? Or was she just protecting Katie's financial interest? "Oh, I am _so_ prepared to beat the bloody hell out of him." Her inflection and her pause said that was the end of the sentence, but she quickly added, "without killing him," as she turned to face Katie. She then muttered in a voice loud enough to be overheard, "He'd better give damned good foot massages."

"All right. I'll get him ready. Katerina, this is not a public event. Domina Scarlet and you are the only ones allowed to come back with me." She cast a disdainful glance at Tony and Jonathan.

"May I go instead of Katerina?" Wendy asked. "Bootlicker is a squirmy little toad when he's getting his butt beat. I've held him down before."

"He'll be strapped to a punishing bench. He shouldn't give us any trouble," the judge replied.

Kristin shot a look at Jonathan. He stepped up and whispered in Katie's ear. Katie listened and nodded. Her face was pained, but she bit back her emotions and addressed the judge. "Lynx is right. She's better at making him behave during punishment."

The judge shrugged. "We're substituting for me; I see no reason you can't have a pinch hitter too." She unlocked a heavy metal door and slipped inside, then closed it behind her.

Kristin let loose a loud, exasperated sigh as she slumped into a chair. "What the hell did I just do?"

Katie laid a hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soft, compassionate voice. "You just saved Ben's butt. Quite literally. Thanks, Doc."


	16. Chapter 55 Eerie Deja Vu

**Chapter 55**

Wendy couldn't believe this was happening _again_. If Island had been an aberration, a fluke. The chances of anything like that happening again were astronomical, or so she'd thought. She'd decided to stay on _seaQuest_ with the assumption that she'd be treating the crew for PTSD, assisting in Medbay with normal injuries like broken arms and engine room burns, maybe an occasional case of the bends. And yet here she was, walking into another brutal beating, another intentional wound designed to cause pain. Her feet cramped up in memory of what a little stick did to them back on If. Would this cane be any smaller?

She'd badgered poor Kristin into doing this. Wendy didn't even try to campaign as a possible candidate herself. She knew just as much about anatomy and physiology. She could have cheated with empathy to read how much each stroke was hurting him and adjust accordingly. But she took the easy way out and followed Ben's lead, pushing Kristin to do the loathsome deed instead.

If Wendy could figure out a way to get the judge to allow her to touch him, and if he would agree to the mindlink, she could talk him through it and help him manage the pain. Kristin would probably restrict the blows to his gluteus maximus where natural fat would cushion him from serious harm. It was a very narrow "strike zone" between avoiding the coccyx and trying to leave him some untouched seating area. Even knowing where she _wanted_ to hit didn't ensure that Kristin would be _able_ to. Wendy had great motor control when performing micro-surgery, but she couldn't hit a ball with a bat to save her life. This seemed much more like baseball than surgery and she prayed that Kristin was better with bats and racquets than she was.

Ben was strapped to something that looked like a gymnast's vault, and unlike all the punishments she'd attended at If, he wasn't wearing a thread of clothing. His legs had been spread wide so that even if his torso wasn't restrained, it would be incredibly difficult to stand upright. His ankles and wrists were all tied down by leather straps with heavy buckles so it really didn't matter. He was bent over—immobile and helpless—and Wendy couldn't think of an excuse to be allowed near him.

Kristin gave her the head nod and pointed look that said, _Do something! _Wendy wanted to blurt out "What?" but even though she wasn't using her senses, it might look like to the judge like she was. She didn't dare let her discover she had any empathic ability.

Scarlet gestured toward Ben with a perturbed look on her face. "Well, where's the fun in _that_?" she complained loudly. "He can't dance around or anything. Can't we give him a little more freedom of movement so I can penalize him for squirming? Let Lynx hold down his arms and if he manages to get out of her grasp, we add another five strokes." Her voice held a hint of deviousness, like she wanted him to give her an excuse to be able to beat him more.

The judge shrugged. "That sounds reasonable to me. However, if it happens twice, I'll assume Lynx just isn't capable of holding him down, and I'll restrain him again. He gets no more than ten extra strokes, all right?"

"Fair enough," Scarlet said. She wasn't exactly rubbing her hands together in wicked anticipation, but she really did play the part well. Her mind, however, screamed out to Wendy to make sure this didn't backfire. If she had to swing that cane even one more time than was absolutely necessary, Wendy had a feeling she might take it out on _her_ hide.

The judge released Ben's wrists from the buckles and then vacated. She took Scarlet to a wall full of horrifying implements to give her a choice of canes. Wendy crouched in front of Ben, hurrying while the judge was distracted. He trembled from nervousness and perhaps the temperature. This concrete room wasn't exactly warm. "Ben," she whispered, "you know I'm an empath, right?"

He didn't look capable of speech, at least not without revealing chattering teeth or a quivering voice. He nodded instead.

"If you'll let down your mental defenses and give me permission, we can talk telepathically, so no one will know. I can also help a little with the pain. But I won't come in if you don't want me to."

He somehow mustered the energy to smirk. "Are Tim and Mary in there too?"

"Mary's on standby because I can't initiate contact and this is something of a precarious situation. But just because she's in my mind doesn't mean she has to come in yours. She can stay out."

He gave a weak smile, but she could tell it wasn't his usual self. "Enter at your own risk."

Wendy grabbed the back of his wrists and pinned his arms down hard on the same post where the restraints hung opened. _Can you hear me?_ she asked telepathically.

_Yeah, I hear you. This is weird._

_I need you to be quiet and still for a second, while I find your nerve pathways. I assume you'd rather I did this before the blows start._ It wasn't as easy to make the connections without the drugs that literally forced her into people's minds.

_Be my guest. _His mindvoice was a bit less nervous, which meant his conscious mind was the most afraid. Underneath, heknewKristin had his best interests at heart, and he knew he would live through this. He quieted and took a few deep breaths.

_Okay, that's the best I can do. Don't think of it as a painkiller. You are going to feel pain and a lot of it. You're going to think I didn't do anything at all, but when this is over and I let go, you'll feel the difference. But by then I should be able to sneak in a morphine patch. That will help a lot more than this, but this is undetectable and shouldn't change your personality and your reactions like morphine would._

_She wants to see me jump and hear me scream_, he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

_The judge, yes. And if at any point she thinks Kristin is holding back, she will throw her out and start over herself. So don't try to be brave. Scream it up._

_S-Start over?_

_Yes. The count goes back to one. And Kristin knows this. She's convinced you're going to hate her for what she has to do, but remember, __**YOU**__ brought her into this. Everything she does, no matter how much it hurts, or how heartless she pretends to be, she's doing for you, to try to minimize the damage and aid the quickest recovery._

_I know. I'm not going to hate her. _He hesitated, reluctant to ask what his emotions wanted to shout_. Is Katie watching?_

_No. Jonathan is out in the lobby. He convinced her to let me have her place in here. I did this for him when he got those scars on his back._

She could feel his relief that Katie wasn't watching. It surged through his bones and energized him, but he left his emotions of out his speech when he answered her._ Did you do it for Lucas too?_

_Yes. I did it for all nine of the men who were kidnapped and taken to If Island when __**seaQuest**__ went missing last year. Only they didn't have a choice about me invading their minds because our captor drugged me. I didn't have any control. He wanted me to share their pain._

Alarm flooded him. _Share? Wendy, you don't have to do that for me._

_Relax, Ben. No one is drugging me now. I have the control I need to keep your pain impulses out of my nervous system. I'll feel for you like Kristin will, but no worse. _That was a lie, but a small one. She wouldn't feel his physical pain, but connected like this, she would definitely feel his distress and anguish along with the sympathy and concern anyone else who cared about him would.

"Good choice," the judge said from somewhere behind Wendy. Did Kristin really need that much time to pick a cane, or had she stalled to give her time to prepare Ben? "Let me start the camera."

"Camera?" Kristin questioned.

"So there's a record of his punishment. In case anyone balks because he's walking out of here with his hand intact."

Ben started tensing.

_I know it's hard, but try to relax. Take deep breaths and try to keep talking._

_Keep talking?_

_Yes. It helps. _

_What do you want me to talk about?_

_I'm __**seaQuest**__'s Chief Psychologist. Think of this as a free shrink session._

Scarlet shouted, "Yah!" just before the cane struck. It was fast enough that he didn't have time to dread, but enough warning that he wasn't taken totally by surprise either. Ben jerked and sucked in air through his teeth, but he didn't scream on the first stroke. The second one came quickly on its heels and he whined a pitiful "Oww."

_You're doing great, Ben._

_This is_—"AHH!" he screamed on the third stroke.

Kristin was relentless with her strikes, not giving him any time to recover in between. She really did look like she was putting her back into it and beating him as hard as she could. Wendy couldn't tell if it was just great acting or if she was so afraid of being caught that she abandoned the act and hit him as hard as she could. She couldn't get the feel for Kristin's surface emotions when she was this focused on Ben. Wendy took a quick peek at his backside and it appeared that Scarlet had precision aim—the welts couldn't have been better placed.

Ben saw her lift her head. He mindspoke fast between strikes, _What's it look like?_ The words barely made it out before he groaned with the next whack.

_Not as bad as it feels. I wouldn't plan on sitting for a while._ She knew the joke was lame, but she didn't know what else to say. She couldn't help remembering the last time she felt no pain while attending a beating and it gave her an uncomfortable déjà vu. Tim had shielded her by blocking his own pain impulses, but his whipping had turned into a nightmare. Was there anything wrong this time? She wanted to read the judge, but without the enhancing drugs, she couldn't concentrate on more than one person at a time, and she wouldn't abandon Ben. Even if she felt a problem, was there any way to avert the consequences? She couldn't signal Scarlet to beat harder, firstly because she seemed to be beating as hard as she could already and secondly because it would sound suspicious and probably make things worse.

Ben was starting to jerk and thrash around in his restraints and against Wendy's hold. _Don't let me_—"AHH!" _...get my hands free_, he gasped.

_I won't, _Wendy soothed_._

_Good, because I reall—_"EEEEYA!"_ I really can't han—_"OWW"_ …can't take this._

_I know. You're doing better than you think._

_Better that Ford? _He somehow managed to stifle his cries for a few strokes, only to cry out louder when the buildup overwhelmed him.

Wendy didn't really remember the details of Jonathan's beating because of the mindwipe done in the future. She could remember Tim's and Nathan's and Lucas's because of the memory packages they'd saved for her, but the rest she only remembered from what she had recorded in her diary. Did Ben really care if he could withstand a beating any better than Jonathan, or was this just the first topic that popped into his poor, pain-saturated head? Even if she could remember, how did one compare such a thing? Who screamed the least often or with the softest volume? Who somehow managed to keep all outward manifestations of excruciating pain from registering on a face or in the eyes? Did stoic suffering prove some kind of strange virtue? Maybe for men it did.

Scarlet hit him twice before Wendy came up with an answer. _Easily equal, Ben_._ Easily equal._

_Good. Next time, he_—"OWW!"—_can order the pizza_.

Even in the midst of a beating, Ben was a joker. _So, I bet the piercing doesn't hurt so much now._

This made him laugh, which quickly led to coughing. Yet, the coughing didn't last when gasping for breath between hard-landing smacks. He did get to a point where the pain topped out and he could breathe a little more. Wendy thought he might talk if he had something to say, but he didn't. He was thinking about how he could hide his pain and embarrassment from Katie and whether he'd see Lucas before he was recovered enough to walk normally.

_Lucas is worried about you. Tim told me he keeps asking_.

_He gets kidnapped while he's my guest_—"Uh"—_then he's enslaved by a sadist_—"EEyow"—_and trapped on this nightmare colony_—"Arrgh"—_but he's worried about __**me**__ getting a little spanking for being stupid? _He managed to talk right through a smack that time.

_This is more than "a little spanking", Ben. The cane they used on my feet wasn't much smaller and if you make light of being beat with a stick, then you insult me as well as yourself._

_They beat you on the __**feet**__?_

_Yes. Thirty strokes with a rod and thirty with a leather strap, alternating back and forth. I might have been permanently crippled if I didn't get medical care from the future._

_Damn. I'm sorry, Wendy. I didn't know._

She was about to thank him for his condolences when she realized something._ Did you know you're done?_

_Huh?_

Kristin dropped the cane with a clatter and backed away. Mutely, she stared at his punished backside, panting from exhaustion.

_That's thirty. You didn't squirm out of my grasp, so no extra. It's over. _Wendy raised her voice and asked the unseen judge, "Can I release him now?" What she really wanted was the camera turned off so she had a better chance at getting the morphine patch on undetected.

"Yes, he's done." The judge sounded satisfied.

Wendy let go of his arms, but Ben didn't move. He groaned when their mindlink dissolved. She resisted the urge to say, 'I told you so.' The ankle restraints were easy enough to get to, so Wendy released those too, but Ben didn't try to move his legs either, probably wisely. "Just stay there," she said softly. She didn't care if her tone wasn't dominating enough. She was supposed to be the nurturing type, wasn't she? "We'll do the moving."

Wendy was about to slip the patch on until she caught sight of Kristin. The older doctor stood a few paces back, utterly motionless and still gaping at Ben. Two tears streamed down her face.

Wendy stood and approached, but Kristin's haunted brown eyes stared beyond her, like she didn't even see her. The empath didn't have to scan her to feel the weight of guilt and regret crushing Kristin's soul. Wendy shot a look at the judge, but decided she didn't care about covers or acts anymore. Ben had taken his beating and the judge had declared it finished. Wendy laid her arm across Kristin's shoulder and whispered gently, "Kristin, it's okay. He's fine, thanks to you."

"He's not bloody _fine_," she said, her voice quivering through her tears. "Look at him. I just beat him to a whimpering pulp."

"Hey, I am _not_ whimpering," Ben protested. His voice sounded close to normal.

Ben's retort snapped Kristin out of her stupor and she darted around Wendy and rushed to his side. "I'm so sorry, Ben," she gushed.

"I think you owe _me_ a lobster now," he joked.

Wendy discreetly slipped the morphine patch into Kristin's hand so she could be the one to ease his pain. The judge watched from a distance, but she didn't say anything. She didn't even look surprised or outraged. Wendy left Ben in Kristin's capable hands and slipped out to the waiting area. Katie shot up out of her chair. Her eyes screamed for reassurance, but she couldn't bring her lips to speak. Jonathan stood next to her with a comforting hand on her back.

"It's over," Wendy announced. "Kristin has better aim than a home-run hitter and Ben was extremely brave. He's making jokes and in very high spirits considering what he's been through."

Tony bounded in the main doors holding a stretcher taller than he was. It still had tags on it, like he'd just purchased it. The stretcher blocked his view of Wendy. "This one okay, Commander?" he asked in a hushed voice. Belatedly, he saw Wendy and it dawned on him that the door to the prisoner area was open and covers were back in play. "Uh, I mean Lady Katerina." He looked at Wendy with a sheepish grin. "How's Bootlicker?"

"He's not having the best day, but he'll recover. Thanks for getting the stretcher. I can't imagine he'll want to walk."

Jonathan held out a shopping bag. "These are his clothes."

Wendy accepted the bag. "Thanks. Dr. Westphalen and I will get him ready, then we'll see if they'll let you guys come back to carry him out."

"I want to see him," Katie asserted. She meant immediately.

"He wants to see you too, but he's also very embarrassed right now. Please let him gather some dignity or you'll add humiliation to his punishment."

Katie nodded.

Wendy took the bag back. "Ebony brought your upworld clothes, Bootlicker. Katerina doesn't want any blood on the leather." There really wasn't a lot of blood, nor did Katie care one wit about the costume, but the judge was still standing there and it was going to look suspicious when he put on jeans and a t-shirt.

Ben was lying face down on the floor with Kristin kneeling at his side. She held one of his hands and stroked his forehead with the other. From the look on his face, Wendy gathered she'd placed the morphine patch and it was working.

"Thank you, Madam Lynx," Ben said rather dreamily.

"Did you give him something for the pain?" the judge asked.

Wendy didn't want Kristin to leave Ben to deal with this woman. She faced the judge herself and planted her hands on her hips. "Yes, I did. But not until after you said his punishment was over. Katerina approved it in advance."

"I'm just…surprised. You're not really interested in immigration, are you?"

"Lady Katerina is here to acquire a young man that Gianna Valentino stole from her custody in Hawaii. We've tried to obey all your laws while we're here, even the ridiculous ones."

"And you're the best actresses I've ever seen," the judge conceded.

Kristin chuckled lightly. "What gave us away?"

She looked at Scarlet, unmoved from Ben's side. "I have never seen someone deliver a caning that professionally and then be so mortified with the results." She turned to Lynx. "And you weren't holding him down because he's a squirmer. You were lending moral support because he's not a masochist. Then you gave him pain meds, something very few here would ever do for a male."

Wendy crossed her arms over her chest and jerked her head in Ben's direction. "Besides what he just paid for, have we broken any laws?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Have we said anything that you have to report to the governor?" Kristin asked. After the way Nathan had spoken about the woman he'd argued with over vid-link, it was no surprise Kristin didn't want to deal with her.

"No. As far as I'm concerned, you'd still be welcome as colonists."

"Thank you for suspending the hand chopping," Ben said in a sing-song voice.

The judge chuckled. "And thank you for the foot massage. Katerina wasn't lying about _that_."

Kristin asked, "Do you have a blanket or sheet we could use? We'd pay for it, of course. I don't think Bootlicker here is in any condition to dress himself."

The judge took a second to get over her surprise that they cared about his modesty. Wendy imagined any other man caught doing what he did would have been led on a leash through the town square so everyone could see his caning marks and ridicule him. Of course, a true submissive would find that idea erotic and therefore it would act as a consolation.

"We have a stretcher too," Wendy said.

"And you have slaves to carry it," the judge remembered. "Where did you find so many men willing to help you?"

"They're friends of Cupcake." Wendy saw no reason to mention _seaQuest_ or the UEO Navy. The man she'd just sentenced to caning wasn't part of either.

The judge pulled a sheet out of a metal locker and tossed it to Wendy. It looked like it had once been red and black striped, but now it was faded to pink and grey. "No charge."

"Thank you." Wendy handed it off to Kristin.

"May I ask how things are going with Gianna?"

"Not as well as we'd hoped," Wendy said. "She wants Katerina to enter a slave in the Gladiator Games and beat her contestant in order to sell Cupcake privately."

"Did Katerina accept?"

"She hasn't had a spare moment to even think about it. She heard about the arrest right after she talked to Gianna."

"Excuse me," the judge said. She left the room, presumably to talk to Katie.

"Well, how much damage have I done to the mission?" Kristin asked when she was gone.

Wendy shrugged. "None. She's passionate about the law, but Ben didn't escape punishment. He paid his debt and she's satisfied with that. She's really not going to tell on us."

Jonathan and Tony knocked lightly before standing in the doorway with the stretcher. Kristin had already wrapped Ben in the sheet, so Wendy motioned them in. "Where's Katerina?" Wendy asked.

"Talking to the judge," Jonathan said. "I think she's going to help us get Lucas." He and Tony took the stretcher over to where Ben was.

"Yeah, I planned it this way," Ben said, sounding very much like he was high. "Won her trust by getting the snot beat out of me."

Kristin smirked. "I did _not_ beat the snot out of you, otherwise you wouldn't be making wisecracks like that. However, that could always be arranged." She said it like she always did, like a threat one didn't dare question, but Wendy knew beyond any doubt that Kristin wasn't capable of so much as a slap on his hand right now. She was still hovering over him protectively and helping him get on the stretcher, even with two strong men right there who could have done the job.

He was lying on his side and wrapped snugly in the sheet when Tony and Jonathan hoisted the stretcher. Kristin stood then and took his hand. She looked like she didn't intend to let go. But then Katie walked in and rushed straight to the stretcher. Kristin bowed out quietly. Katie kissed Ben and whispered some gushing niceties. Ben didn't have complete muscle control so his eyeballs lolled around and his lips curled and made him look goofy, but he was probably trying to smile.

Katie slipped a small book inside the shopping bag which still held Ben's clothes. Wendy saw the title in large red letters: "Gladiator Games of Juno". She carried the bag on one hand and held Ben's hand with the other. Wendy gathered Ben's leather costume from the floor and Katie's abandoned crop from the waiting room. They left the sheriff's station and walked down the streets, garnering plenty of stares in the process. It wasn't every day that two men carried another man while the three women of the group walked. It was probably pretty rare that anyone was seen in public wrapped in a grey and pink striped sheet too, but Ben was insulated from too many curious stares because Tony and Jonathan blocked the view from front and back while Katie and Kristin took up positions on either side. Wendy walked a couple of paces behind Kristin and bit her lips to keep from laughing at all the shock and surprise she felt as they made their way back to _Splendor_. As they walked, she sent word through Mary so that she could inform Tim and the captain that Ben would be fine.


	17. Chapter 56 Researching Gladiator Games

**Chapter 56**

Katie got everyone back on board _Splendor_ and locked the hatch. Brody and Shan had kept the food in its thermal box, so it was still pretty warm. Ben was doped up enough that he decided he could sit with everyone to eat. Katie and Kristin fought briefly over who would help him get some clothes on. Ben sided with Dr. Westphalen, no doubt so Katie wouldn't see the damage. And Katie felt so badly for him that she capitulated.

Ben emerged from the stateroom in his jeans and t-shirt, walking gingerly. He squeezed his eyes shut and cringed when he sat, but insisted he was okay. In his medicated state, he might have also insisted he was Prince Harry. The pizza and buffalo wings were probably not the best they'd ever had, but after all they'd been through, everything sure tasted good to Katie.

She brooded a little over her failure to get Lucas away from Gianna's clutches. It actually comforted her to know that Lucas was in the mine chained to Tim rather than anywhere with that awful woman. If it looked like anything bad were about to happen, at least Tim could get word through Wendy and Katie could try to do something. She didn't know _what_ she could do, but it was comforting to know that they didn't _need_ any help right now.

They all ate in relative silence at first because everyone was so busy stuffing their mouths that they didn't spare time to talk. Katie saw Brody give Jonathan the urging look that said, _come on, ask her!_ but either Jonathan failed to see it, was still too busy eating, or he didn't want to be the one to ask. Katie sat back and watched, nibbling on a breadstick, wondering if Brody would ask himself. The captain said he was brave, but evidently not _that_ brave. When he saw her glancing in his direction, he suddenly became very interested in a buffalo wing.

"Commander," Dr. Westphalen said in her frank voice, "I think we'd all like to know what happened when you talked to Gianna."

Katie took a deep breath. "She held a stun rod right in Lucas's face with one hand and she had a tight grip on his leash in the other, so he couldn't get away." She paused while everyone gasped in horror. "Even when I hinted about money, she kept pushing for the auction. I'm pretty sure it's personal now. Maybe we should have waited until he was sold and just approached the buyer."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Wendy said. "Most of the women I've come into contact with here see their males as possessions, yes, but they're also very much like beloved pets. You don't want to take the chance that someone will take that kind of fancy to Lucas and refuse to sell him at any price. Think about it: he's young and handsome. Who _wouldn't_ want him?"

Kristin huffed indignantly and dropped her chicken wing down on her plate with a small thud. "As a prisoner who hated me for reducing him to this horrible existence? Not me. Not even if I were twenty years younger. Lucas can't ever be like the other men here who actually like these women. Why would you want to buy a young man only to torture him?"

Wendy smirked. "Remember where you are."

She chuckled back and Katie was relieved to see the grave look Kristin had been sporting ever since Ben's caning finally dissipate. "Oh, you know what I mean."

"We have one shot," Katie continued. "Gianna challenged me to enter a contestant in their Gladiator Games tomorrow."

Jonathan coughed like he'd swallowed an entire chicken bone. The normally articulate commander sputtered, "G-G-Gladiator?"

"Yeah, I didn't like the sound of it either, even when she said it wasn't supposed to be fighting to the death. I told her I'd think about it. I wanted to see if the rules had been put in writing. Luckily, they have. The sheriff gave me a copy." She dug the book out of the shopping bag which she'd set down near her feet when they all gathered to eat. Laying it in the center of the table, she addressed Jonathan. "I'm reading this first. _If_ I decide it's a possibility, then you can read it and let me know what you think. Ben can't enter, and I won't enter you unless we both agree it's a good idea."

"I don't think we have a choice," Jonathan said, suddenly serious.

"Like hell we don't," Katie countered. "The captain said he wanted everyone back in one piece and there is no way I'm letting _anyone_ do _anything_ that would put me in the position of explaining to him why I couldn't honor that simple request." She gave Jonathan a rather stern look that said he'd better not cross her on this one. He'd agreed she was in command and he'd said he wouldn't have it any other way. If he was going to take it back, she wanted to have it out with him right now, although she'd probably take him aside into one of the staterooms if it was going to go any further.

"You're right. Let's read the rules first."

She bit back a sigh of relief. She didn't want anyone else to know how close she'd come to fighting with him. Jonathan was reasonable. The chances were good that they'd agree on a course of action and then how stupid would they feel for arguing in front of the doctors in addition to those they both outranked?

Brody cleared his throat. "If you decide it's not too risky, we should consider having more than one contestant enter this thing."

"Are you volunteering, Mr. Brody?" Katie asked.

"Well, I didn't come here for the outfits. If it's safe enough for the commander, then the more guys we have trying, the better, right?"

Katie nodded. There was no point discussing this while she hadn't even cleared it for one of them, but his idea made sense. Wendy 'owned' both Shan and Brody. If either one of them could win this, then Wendy could buy Lucas instead. Katie really wanted to do the transaction personally, just so she could rub Gianna's nose in her victory, but she wasn't going to let pride get in the way of their objective. The Gladiator Games were a means to an end. It didn't matter who won or how, as long as they got Lucas back.

"While you're reading, I think I should see if I can't find out what _isn't_ in that book," Wendy said.

Katie arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

"The judge reacted strangely when I mentioned Gianna's proposal. I think there's more going on here than whatever is in the official rules. We should find out what."

"And how do you think you're going to do that?"

"It's only nineteen hundred. This place has more night life going on than it does during the day. I think it's time I took my pets out to mingle and observe. Who knows? Maybe I'll find someone who's willing to chat about tomorrow's games."

Much as Katie wanted everyone to stay locked inside _Splendor_, safe and in her sight, Wendy was right. Shan and Brody would be with her and Wendy of all people could detect a threat if one were brewing. Katie nodded. "Good idea."

Kristin wiped her fingers on a napkin. "Let me get Ben all settled and I'll go with you. You up for it, Shortcake?" She winked at Tony.

"Nightclubs full of hot chicks in leather? Are you kidding?"

Kristin chuckled. "Hey, you're _my_ pet. You're supposed to be fawning over _me_."

"But the cap would kill me."

"I think you should ask Ben whether you'd rather Nathan might kill you for acting a part he's sanctioned or whether I might beat you to shreds just because I feel a little snubbed." Kristin crossed her arms, looking for all the world like she would think nothing of caning Tony right there on the dining room table. Katie had to lift a napkin to her lips to cover her grin.

Ben cleared his throat and played along. "Take the brig, Tony. Trust me. Or better yet, don't ever cross either one of the Bridgers."

Tony gulped hard, his eyes as big as saucers. "Doc, I'll fawn as much as you want."

"Good." Kristin relaxed her poker face. "But go ahead and flirt with the other ladies too. I need an excuse to smack you every once in a while."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tony nodded and returned to his regular swaggering self. "Oh yeah. Love that crop. Bring it on."

Everyone laughed after that. Katie turned to Jonathan. "You could go with Scarlet if you want."

He shook his head. "I think I'll stay here. I need to read that rulebook when you're done and somebody should have your back." He wasn't implying she couldn't take care of herself. He knew that she would be taking care of the injured Ben first and herself second. He'd be there to back them _both_. Besides, Jonathan really hated the roleplay. Of all of them, he was most likely to trip up over something trivial.

"Thanks," she said sincerely.

Everyone but Ben pitched in and cleaned up. Dr. Westphalen forbade him from moving a muscle and he seemed to sense that Kristin needed to mother him, so he followed his own advice and didn't cross her. She helped him stand, although Katie suspected he could have done it himself. He did walk to the stateroom unassisted. From the muffled protests coming from behind the closed door, Katie gathered that she insisted on seeing the wounds again and of course his protests went unheeded. The good doctor emerged from the room and gave Katie one of those next-of-kin smiles. "He's doing fine, but you don't have to tell him I said that. That patch is good for another six hours, so it might be a good idea for him to sleep now, while he can. Go assure him that he's not going to miss anything if he takes a nap."

"Okay, Doc, thanks."

Katie entered the room with her book in hand. Ben was lying on his side with his t-shirt still on and a blanket up to his waist. His jeans were folded at the foot of the bed. "Doc says you should sleep while the pain meds are working. It's probably gonna hurt like hell when they wear off."

"Don't tell me _you_ feel bad about this too. This was my fault, Katie. I didn't pay enough attention to Helga. If anything, I owe you big for talking the judge out of chopping off my hand."

Katie sat down on the other side of the bed. "_You_ won her over with the foot massage."

"Yeah, well, thanks anyway."

She would have done it for anyone, but she hadn't been lying when she'd asserted that she needed _his_ hands specifically. She knew he did a lot that she never acknowledged or thanked him for. She didn't think she deserved it, but she said, "You're welcome," just to keep things pleasant. "If I sit here to read, is it going to make it harder for you to fall asleep?"

"You going to be in the same bed with me?" he asked incredulously.

She chuckled. "Yes. Reading. And you're not in any condition to even _think_ about doing anything but sleep right now."

"You're spoiling me, you know that?"

"No, I'm watching you under Dr. Westphalen's orders," she lied. Although, if Katie hadn't volunteered to stay behind, Kristin probably would have, so it wasn't much of a stretch. Ben didn't appear to believe her anyway. She leaned over to kiss his cheek but he turned his face at the last second so that their lips met. She kissed him anyway, but then she chided, "That was sneaky."

"Mmm hmm. I notice it didn't stop you though."

"Momentum."

"Right." He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes. Katie pulled the blanket up over his shoulder. He looked so sweet and innocent; she had an overwhelming urge to get in bed and spoon with him (his back side out, of course), but she restrained herself. She had to read and then talk to Jonathan, and Ben needed rest.

She adjusted the table lamp and dove into the book. Thankfully, it was written in a narrative style which explained things pretty well. No weapons were allowed, but beyond that, it was pretty much a no-holds-barred (and probably dirty) fight. Winners could be determined by knockout or decision, with judging based on who "looked closest" to losing. Katie didn't like the lack of definition on this point. It sounded too subjective to her.

Quite a lot of text and diagrams were devoted to explaining the concept of a seeding tournament, which she already understood, so she didn't have to waste a lot of time with that. Since Gianna's Rocky had been in the Games before, and evidently done well, he would be highly seeded. Newcomers were automatically given the lowest seeds, but the ranking sounded almost arbitrary after that, based on nothing more than the judges' visual assessment and whim.

Depending on the number of entrants and the rather random seeding, Jonathan might have to defeat four or five other contestants before he even got a shot at Rocky. Worse, Katie didn't like the consequences for losing. For each round, the mistress of the winning slave inherited the slave that lost. Losing Jonathan's ownership documents to anyone but Wendy or Kristin was totally unacceptable. Katie almost scrapped the entire idea on account of that, until she read a loophole that they might use to their advantage. If the owner removed a slave from competition (literally throwing in a towel) before a round was over, she would forfeit without losing her slave. However, the mistress was penalized in that it removed not only that slave, but her entire 'house' was disqualified and barred from entering another competition for a whole year.

So if Brody and Shan entered and either one of them looked like they were in danger of losing, then throwing in the towel to save one of them would end the chances for _both_. Still, it was better than the alternative. If the guys were up for this, it also meant that she and Wendy could end up owning a bunch of Juno residents when this was all over. The captain's joke about his wife over buying anyone but Lucas suddenly had an ironic twist to it. Katie had no idea what she would do with more slaves than she came with.

Ben was sleeping peacefully when Katie tiptoed out to the lounge area where Jonathan sat alone, watching the vid-screen. He'd found some footage of the Games in the huge collection that Helga had sent. He looked up with a concerned look on his face. "Katie, do you realize what happens if I _lose_?"

She imagined that very few of these arrogant Juno women would ever stoop to throwing in the towel, which meant he hadn't seen any examples of the loophole on the footage. She nodded. "Yeah, I know. But you need to read page thirty-one." She tossed the book in his lap. "And even after that, remember, I'm not entering you in this without your consent. We'll find another way to get Lucas if you're not a hundred percent sure." She plopped down on a chair next to him.

"How's Ben?" he asked.

"He's sleeping at the moment, but Dr. Westphalen said the pain meds would run out in the middle of the night and he probably won't sleep so well after that."

He gazed at her with soulful eyes and lowered his voice. "Katie, it's not the pain you've got to worry about. It's the nightmares."

"I don't think this was as bad as what you went through."

He shook his head. "Someone held him down and beat him, Katie. Doesn't matter that he was allowed to have his doctor to do it. You and I both heard what happened in there."

Katie was glad she'd let Wendy take her place. Those few muffled screams that made it past the closed door had been bad enough. She stared at Jonathan curiously. He hadn't been this concerned about Ben since the time he punched a hole in Ben's isolation suit when Ben visited him in quarantine after contracting a biological warfare germ found on the _Liberté_. "What do you suggest?"

"Listen to him, but don't make him talk until he's ready. Maybe hint around that he have a chat with Dr. Smith. She's been through this before. She understands."

Katie laid her hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Jonathan."

He nodded and stood with the book in hand.

Katie realized he was leaving to get away from the noise of the home movie. "I wasn't planning on watching men beat each other up. You can read here if you're comfortable."

"Maybe you _should_ watch it, Katie. They might call it Gladiator _Games_, but they don't look like they're _playing_ to me. They look dead serious."

She nodded with a sigh. "You're probably right." She wouldn't know how they judged these things and therefore when a match was getting close enough that she should end it. And that was an essential part of the plan, so she left Helga's vid-disc in the machine and settled in to watch. Jonathan disappeared into the stateroom he was sharing with Brody.


	18. Chapter 57 Dawn of the Games

**Chapter 57**

_Wendy?_ The doctor heard Tim's voice in her mind and it took her a while to realize it wasn't a dream. It had been a long night in the clubs followed by a lot of strategic planning when they compared notes with Katie and Jonathan. A glance at the bedside clock revealed she'd only slept five and a half hours. She checked the mindlink and found Mary was there, so she could answer him.

_I'm here, Tim. What is it?_

_Gianna just arrived to pick up Lucas._

Wendy was still quite groggy, but she was pretty sure there was nothing she could do about that. They'd see her at the Games and deal with her then. _Okay, thanks_. She yawned, stretching one arm silently above the bed.

Tim continued patiently, _Do you think you could maybe ask Dr. Westphalen to spring me?_

_You'll have to cut her some slack, sweety,_ Mary whispered. _She's not awake_.

_Ugh, _Wendy said, shaking herself to banish the fatigue._ I'm sorry, Tim. Sure, I'll tell Kristin right away._

_Thanks._

_Mary, have you filled him in on the meeting last night?_ Wendy asked. Katie had requested Mary listen in through Wendy so she could inform the captain about their plans. Tim had been asleep at the time and by Mary's account, both he and Lucas really needed it.

_Not yet. He has some time now, while he waits for Dr. Westphalen. I'll start if you don't need anything_.

_I'm good, thanks._

Mary's mindlink dissolved. Wendy reached over to rouse her roommate with a gentle touch on her shoulder. She whispered, "Kristin, wake up. Gianna picked up Lucas, so Tim doesn't need to be in the mines anymore."

Wendy could sense Kristin was still in a dream state when she murmured, "Nathan, you're talking in your sleep."

Wendy chuckled. She made her voice a little more forceful. "Sorry, Kristin, it's Wendy. You've got to wake up now. Tim needs you to go get him."

"Huh?" she groaned, still in twilight.

Though she hated to resort to such harsh tactics, Wendy knew Kristin wouldn't want to leave Tim in the mines any longer than he had to be there. She also knew from experience what would work. She gave her voice a nasal twang and imitated every crackly hospital public address speaker system she'd ever heard: "Dr. Westphalen, Dr. _Kristin_ Westphalen to the E.R.—_stat_."

Kristin bolted upright and her eyes flew wide open. She started to scramble out of bed without thinking.

"Sorry, Kristin," Wendy said sheepishly.

It took the elder doctor a second to process what had happened, then her brows furrowed and she laid a dark gaze on the younger. Wendy was trying hard to block her, but Kristin screamed, _Dirty trick_, so loudly in her mind that she couldn't help hear.

Wendy shrugged. "I tried the nice way first, but you were really out of it. Lucas has been picked up and Tim wanted me to tell you he's ready to come home."

Kristin relaxed her frown. "Well, if it wasn't for a medical emergency, at least it was important," she said good-naturedly.

"Waking you up like that wasn't his idea."

"Obviously." Kristin started pulling on her leather dress even as she continued her conversation with Wendy. "Nobody but a doctor would know what emergency rotations were like. Tim, on the other hand, would have waited another three hours before timidly reminding us he needed help."

Wendy nodded as she went about making the king-sized bed they'd shared. "He'd assume whatever we were doing was more important, even if we were just sleeping in. He _has_ gotten better though."

"Undoubtedly. So you introduced him to his fiancée? What's Mary like?"

"Shy and extremely agoraphobic. But I really think they're good for each other."

Kristin smiled in agreement. "Do you think we can get her on _seaQuest_? Just for a short visit?"

Wendy cringed and shook her head. "I really doubt it. She's such a strong empath that it's hard for her to block one person at a time. With so many people in a tiny space on a submarine? She'd have to be unconscious."

Kristin gave her a sly look, one brow cocked. "That could be arranged."

Wendy laughed and tossed a décor pillow at her.

Kristin caught it and then set it atop the bedspread. Hands on her red leather-wrapped hips, she declared, "Well, if we ever got thrown out of medicine, it looks like we could both work as cabin stewards on a cruise ship."

"I'm sure my mother would be _so_ proud," Wendy said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. She only kept herself from shuddering by an act of will. Her mother would most definitely _not_ be pleased. She hadn't been thrilled that Wendy gave up CMO to practice psychology and parapsychology, even on the Navy's flagship. But then again, the admiral would never have been happy outside of her becoming a full-fledged naval officer and raising up a daughter to pass on the family tradition. Right now, having a family didn't look any more likely than becoming an officer.

Kristin's hand arrived unexpectedly on her shoulder and Wendy realized she'd been spacing out. The mature bedside-manner voice was soft and compassionate, "Hey, no one's getting thrown out. When we get back to _seaQuest_, I hope you can find room in your appointment book for me. I can't get Ben out of my mind."

If she hadn't been present at the beating, she might have thought Kristin was just saying that to make her feel useful, but Dr. Westphalen was too proud for that. She really was bothered and she really did have faith in Wendy's abilities as a counselor. "For you, I'll make room."

Kristin patted her on the shoulder and took off. She woke Katie, probably just to inform her where she was going, but the commander insisted on accompanying her down to the mines. Tony blended in well with Juno residents, and he'd been a very astute information-gatherer, but he wasn't exactly bodyguard material. Besides, Kristin wouldn't have woken _anyone_ if she'd thought she could get away with it. Wendy hadn't known the lieutenant commander very long, but it wasn't hard to see Katie was all pro.

Wendy also heard Kristin check in on Ben while she was in their stateroom. From the degree of concern in the doctor's voice, Wendy would have bet Ben didn't have a very good night, but he sure was hiding it well. She made a mental note to check on him after the women were both gone. Ben might hide a little from Kristin, but he probably hid a lot from Katie. She'd been too distracted with other things during their mindlink, but it was pretty obvious Ben loved Katie. He felt unworthy of her in some strange, indefinable way, but he had hope he could overcome it.

No one else seemed to be awake on _Splendor_, and with the day ahead, she didn't want to wake any of the three guys who were planning to duke it out in these twisted Gladiator Games. She was already feeling nervous about it. Will and Jim were both her responsibility and it would be up to her to make certain neither of them lost their freedom to some sadistic domme. They'd watched a lot of footage from a past Game, but she couldn't tell whether they ran elimination matches concurrently. As low as her "pets" were likely to be seeded, they'd probably be up against stiff competition from the beginning.

Wendy wandered into the galley and started a pot of coffee. She toasted a leftover breadstick and found some jam to spread on it. There was very little food on board, but she found some staples in the pantry, among them, a box of pancake mix that didn't require milk or eggs to make. Although she wasn't the greatest cook, she decided she could probably handle making some pancakes. It didn't take a psychic to see that the guys would sooner starve than get into costumes and do the roleplay thing just to eat breakfast.

Kristin and Katie stopped at the galley doorway. "Is that coffee?" Katie asked.

Wendy nodded. "Should be ready in a minute or two."

"Tim can wait another five minutes," Kristin announced. She boiled some water in the microwave and then started scouring cupboards, muttering about Earl Grey being the key to civilization.

"I'm going to try to make pancakes for the guys," Wendy said.

"Ooo. You're brave," Katie said.

She chuckled. "They'll probably be terrible."

"Is there syrup?"

"No, but we have jam."

"Why don't you see if you can find a grocery delivery in the colony's directory? Get some bacon, milk, and whatever else we might need."

"I can do that."

"Just don't let any of the men call in the order," Kristin said with a teasing inflection.

Wendy chortled. "Like guys would get anything useful. We'd all be eating potato chips and beer."

"Ben's not bad at food," Katie said off-handedly, but then she realized what she'd just suggested. "When he won't get his hand chopped off for using the vid-link, of course."

"So what's up with you and Ben?" Kristin asked in that gossip-gathering tone known universally among women. She'd found a tea bag somewhere and was now waiting for the water to boil.

"We're taking it slow."

"So you _are_ a couple then?"

"He's changed a lot," Katie said defensively.

Kristin smiled at her. "Anyone can see that. Even Nathan noticed."

"The captain? Really?"

Kristin nodded as she removed the cup from the microwave and dunked her tea bag in it.

"What was he like before?" Wendy asked.

"A jerk," Katie said. Then she looked like she regretted it. "But I didn't make it easy either."

Kristin looked at Wendy and attempted to answer her question a little more objectively. "He was a lot like Tony. A skirt-chaser. Schemer and scammer. But basically harmless."

Wendy chuckled. "Actually, you two didn't know Tony a year ago. He came aboard _seaQuest_ in _handcuffs_."

The other ladies gasped.

Kristin turned to Katie, who had just poured her coffee. The doctor looked eager to improve Tony's reputation. "Oh, you should have seen him at the nightclub. He actually kissed my boots in front of a roomful of people."

Wendy chuckled at the memory. "I think he made Will and Jim feel a little inadequate. All three of them were trying to one-up each other all night."

"Sorry I missed all the fun," Katie remarked.

"Oh, I wouldn't go _that_ far," Kristin said. "You're welcome to dress up and go play with the whiney, arrogant babydolls while I sit home with the patient next time."

Katie sighed. "Let's hope there are no more _patients_ to sit with."

Wendy and Kristin both nodded to that. They'd seen a man die on that DVD of Helga's. His mistress was too proud to stop the fight and the judges wouldn't end it until it was too late. People could _say_ it wasn't a fight to the death all they liked, but more than a few of the combatants acted like they would kill—or die—to win.

Katie and Kristin downed their morning beverages quickly and took off for the lithium mine. Wendy found a grocer who would deliver and placed a rather large order. They could call for takeout again if they _wanted_ to, but she ordered enough so they wouldn't be forced to, assuming they could get Lucas before Friday's auction and get out of this backwards place. She started mixing up the pancakes before the order arrived because she figured she was going to need to take everything slow and easy. She did rather hope that she could get the majority of the food cooked before the guys woke up because they were quite likely to laugh at her crazy methodology.

The batter seemed thin to her, but she'd used all the dry mix, so there was no helping it. The resulting pancakes looked more like crêpes, but they seemed edible enough. There was a knock on the docking hatch and the security camera verified it was the food delivery. Wendy went to accept her order. Unfortunately, she forgot to turn off the burner under the pan she was using.

One thing for sure, the LS909 had a very good smoke detector. It screeched louder and more obnoxious than a general quarters alarm. All five of the men came bounding out of their cabins, even Ben, who limped along, wearing the pink and grey sheet wrapped around his waist.

Jonathan had the galley ventilation system activated before she could even see through the smoke. Jim held the frying pan with the little charcoal pancake chips smoldering within. Wendy shrugged and shook her head. "Sorry, guys. I was trying to cook breakfast."

Tony found the plate full of unburned food. "Hey, looks good to me."

Will carried a large box from near the hatch into the galley. He'd let the others deal with the smoke while he took over for Wendy with the delivery guy. "Looks like we've got bacon and real milk too."

"_Real_ milk?" Ben asked. "Do they have cows here?" Something about his interest in cows told her this wasn't about milk.

"Goat's milk, Ben," Wendy said. "But there's powdered stuff too if you like that better."

"No way. This is great. How long have you been up?"

"Tim woke me half an hour ago."

"What's wrong?" Jonathan asked, suddenly realizing Katie and Kristin hadn't harkened to the alarm.

"Nothing. Gianna pulled Lucas from the mine, so Tim didn't need to stay any longer. Dr. Westphalen went to bail him out and Katie went with her."

Hungry, but no longer trusting Wendy in the kitchen, Jim cleaned out the pan and started frying bacon while Tony scrounged up coffee cups. Wendy set the table and found a cushion for Ben to sit on. Jonathan fanned smoke into the ventilation ducts for a good ten minutes before he decided the motorized fans could finish the job.

"Well, that's one way to get us all out of bed fast," Will commented lightly as he put the groceries away.

"I'd planned on the smell of bacon to do that." Wendy didn't apologize again, but she was a little disappointed in herself. Katie wasn't going to be happy about all this smoke in her brand new submarine. It wasn't like they could surface and air it out either. The only thing they could do was open the hatch and get a little of Juno's fresher air, but then they exposed themselves to nosey residents and who knew what else. For all she knew, it might be a crime to pollute the colony dome and she didn't want to imagine what the punishment for _that_ might be.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the food though. Will made sure some pancakes were saved for Tim. He didn't grab any bacon, even though there was plenty left, so he must have been aware that Tim was vegetarian. Ben left the table immediately after eating. He probably wasn't comfortable sitting. Wendy gave him a couple of minutes and then knocked on his stateroom door. "It's Dr. Smith. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

"How are you doing?"

"Not bad."

"Really? Would the answer be the same if I swore I wouldn't tell Kristin or Katie?"

"Uhh…"

"That's what I thought."

"I don't want them to feel any worse than they already do."

"Thoughtful. But they won't feel better knowing you're lying either. They'll assume the worst."

"Okay. It hurts like the devil."

Wendy folded her arms over her chest. "Better."

"I don't suppose I could get another one of those patches?"

Wendy gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I don't suppose. But you can take some Tylenol."

"Great. 'Take two aspirin and call me in the morning,'" he quoted the adage while rolling his eyes.

"No, take four and don't lie to your doctor again. That includes Kristin. She's taking this harder than you think. Let her coddle you. That'll help her more than you pretending you're fine when she knows good and well that you're not."

"Are we talking about the same Kristin? You want me to _take advantage_ of Kristin Westphalen?"

"No. Just tell the truth and let her be a doting doctor. She'll know when to back off if you're straight with her."

"What about Katie?"

"You know her better than I do. What do you think?"

"She thinks I'm immature." He sighed. "She might be right."

"I haven't scanned her, you understand, but I think she's so proud of you, she can hardly contain herself. But I also think you've made her a little insecure, like you've grown up so much you don't need her anymore."

"Wendy, I love her."

She chuckled. "I could tell that before I mindlinked with you."

"I've told her. Do you think she doesn't believe me?"

She shrugged. "People in love don't lie to each other, Ben. Let her see the wounds. She's probably imagined them far worse than they are. Be a little vulnerable so she can see the real you."

"She was married to the real me and she wasn't happy."

"From what I've heard, you've changed."

"I guess."

There was a knock at the docking hatch and Jonathan went to take care of it. Wendy heard Katie's voice and turned back to Ben. "Sounds like she's back."

"You're really not going to tell them?"

"I'm telling Kristin that I authorized four Tylenol in her absence. That's it."

"Thanks, Wendy. For everything."

She patted his shoulder. "No problem. You call me if you ever want to talk." She didn't exactly spell it out, but she hoped he would realize it was a professional offer for counseling. They didn't have any more time right then because Katie and Kristin came through the door. "Sorry about all the smoke, Katie," Wendy said.

She waved it off. "Do you know how much time I've spent in unventilated engine rooms? This is nothing. I'd rather have a little smoke than deal with a sheriff."

Ben piped in, "That's two of us now in the doghouse for food-related offenses."

Kristin eyed Wendy. "How's the patient?"

"I told him he could take some Tylenol. He hasn't done it yet. I think he was waiting to make sure you approved."

She saw in Kristin's eyes that she didn't believe the motive, but she smiled and winked appreciation for the deference, which was all that Wendy had cared to impart to begin with.

"No," Ben said. "I was waiting for you to leave so I could stand up. I don't have any pants on."

Wendy smirked at him. "That didn't stop you at breakfast." Then she turned to Katie and Kristin and winked. "Bedsheet fashion. It's catching on."

They laughed briefly and then Katie addressed Ben. "If you want to come to the Gladiator Games, you're going to have to put the leather pants back on. If not, maybe Tony or Tim will stay with you here."

"Uh, Commander? I wanted to talk to you about that," Tim's voice said from the hallway behind them.

The stateroom was crowded and Wendy hadn't meant to stay to begin with. "Why don't we take this out to the lounge, so Ben can do what he needs to."

The ladies concurred and left the doorway. Wendy followed them out. Tim was in front of them, but when they reached the lounge, he declined to sit. It was obvious why. His arms, hands, face, and hair were caked in dirt so thick it looked uncomfortable. He even somehow had dirt under his glasses. His bare feet were filthy as well as scratched, though none of the wounds looked bad. Tim had mentioned that they made him change into some kind of short toga for work, which meant his legs were probably grungy under the clean leather pants. He didn't smell as badly as he did after six weeks without bathing on If, but he actually _looked_ worse.

Despite his filth, Tim stood up straight and proud. "I want to enter the Gladiator Games."

"It looks like you've already done your fair share for this mission, Tim," Katie said, trying to hide her repulsion at all the dirt. The rest of the guys filtered into the fringes of the room.

Tim shrugged. "All I did was haul some rocks. No big deal."

Kristin coughed. She wasn't letting him get away with minimizing his contribution. "For two sixteen-hour shifts, chained to Lucas for one of them, with an overseer cracking a whip over you the entire thirty-two hours."

Silence reigned for a few seconds, then Will cleared his throat. "I agree. Tim should enter. I've been training him in self-defense for the past six weeks, privately for the last two. He's probably better than most of those big oafs we saw on the DVD. And nobody will suspect he's any good because he's so skinny and geeky-looking." He turned to Tim with an apologetic look. "Sorry, man."

Tim shook his head. "No. I agree. But that's my point." He paid a glance at Jonathan and Jim. "I'm not saying I'm as good as the rest of you guys. But if you have to throw in the towel in the early rounds to keep from becoming slaves, aren't we better off stacking the deck? With four of us from three different mistresses, we have better odds."

Kristin eyed her pet. "Mary has explained all the rules to you and she doesn't mind you entering?"

"She's the one who encouraged me to take martial arts in the first place. And she trusts you, Doctor."

Kristin beamed a smile. "Oh boy. I get to have a Gladiator! But please do take a shower first, hmm?"

Tim nodded emphatically. His desire to bathe as soon as humanly possible was palpable.

Katie looked like she might have been against it, but once Kristin came out on Tim's side, she really didn't have a good reason to argue. His logic was solid and Kristin didn't have to watch anyone else for possible towel-throwing.

"So what am I gonna do, stay here with Ben?" Tony asked grumpily. At least he recognized he wasn't a good candidate to enter the competition.

Ben walked into the room in full costume. His limp was barely noticeable. "Nope. Ben is coming to support his mistress."

Wendy spoke up. "You can help _me_, Tony. If Ensign Shan and Lieutenant Brody happen to have elimination matches at the same time, I can't watch them both."

"Can I throw the towel?"

Wendy chuckled. "I don't think so. But you can come get me and I'll throw it."

"And if the matches aren't held at the same time, it's going to be your job to look out for Lucas," Katie said. "Gianna said she was going to bring him to the Games to drum up interest for the auction because she's so sure her precious Rocky is going to win."

"Be careful about talking to him though," Tim warned. "We could talk in the mine because Gianna wasn't there."

"Shouldn't she be distracted watching Rocky?" Kristin asked.

Wendy cleared her throat. "That implies she cares about him, Kristin. Gianna doesn't seem the caring type to me."

"Lucas is scared of her," Tim said.

"As well he should be," Katie said flatly. "The woman is a blight on humanity." She looked at her wristwatch. "Let's plan on leaving here for the coliseum in an hour. Tim, is that enough time for you to eat and shower and everything?" Wendy felt the rhetorical nature of the question. Katie had served with Tim. She knew how efficient he was.

"How many are ahead of me for the shower?"

"None. It's all yours. Oh, and take all the water you need. Please."

"I'm just worried I'll clog the drain with the mud."

Katie chuckled. "No worries. She's still under warranty."

Wendy suppressed her sigh. _Time to get out of the comfortable nightshirt and into my catsuit and torture boots_.


	19. Chapter 58 Let the Games Begin

_**A/N: In honor of the real Navy SEALs who did us proud, I dedicate this chapter. You're the real heroes. Thank you.**_

* * *

**Chapter 58**

Tim felt so good to be clean that he didn't mind the stupid costume. He'd worked long hours plenty of times before, but never so much manual labor. His muscles ached and he hadn't gotten much sleep. Mine slaves slept on the ground. And being chained to a restless teen was only slightly more conducive to sleep than being handcuffed in the back of a car. Rita offered to take off the chains overnight, but they both refused. Tim couldn't have slept at all without knowing Lucas was secure. He'd also lost a little sleep talking to Mary, but he couldn't fool her into believing he wasn't exhausted, so she sang a lullaby and that was the end of that.

He could hardly believe Dr. Westphalen and Will had both supported his bid to enter the Gladiator Games. It wasn't like he had a chance at actually winning. His thought was just to eliminate some of the minor contenders or maybe wear down the serious competition so that one of the more experienced fighters wouldn't have to work as hard to win. He was a distraction, a decoy. He knew Dr. Westphalen would be throwing in the towel eventually; all he hoped was not to look too wimpy in the process.

He felt gratified to be allowed to enter. Piccolo was a small guy and just a petty officer. Besides, he was so great at the roleplay that they didn't need him to fight. Krieg was injured. But how lame would Tim look for sitting on the sidelines when the only thing he'd done since they got here was move rocks around?

While he _wanted_ to do the manly, brave, rescuer thing, he sure wished he didn't feel so nervous about it. Mary had warned him about what everyone else saw on Helga's DVD. She admitted she was concerned about him getting hurt, but she supported his decision to enter. She was proud of him and she had more confidence than he did that he wouldn't come out looking like a complete wimp.

They decided to split up and take three separate routes to the coliseum. Hitchcock was concerned that they might look suspicious arriving together and all acting out of the same playbook. There was nothing they could do about the fact that they were all very willing to use the towel-throwing escape clause. It did them no good to win Lucas back if someone else got trapped in the process. But it was supposed to be a last resort, when the only alternative was serious injury, death, or becoming a permanent resident of Juno. The throngs expected entertainment and as long as they delivered at least a modicum of that, hopefully it wouldn't be too obvious that Team Splendor wasn't risking as much as the others were.

So Shortcake and Puppy walked five feet behind Domina Scarlet on an extended eastern route to the coliseum. Scarlet signed Puppy into the Games. The first eight seeds had already been decided because they were returning contestants who'd competed before. A large electronic scoreboard showed Rocky seeded at Number 1. Beyond the sign-in tables was a long exhibit area that reminded Tim of the way the 4-H Clubbers displayed their livestock at county fairs. The top eight slaves each had a booth where they stood, chained by the ankle to an eyelet in the floor. It didn't strike Tim as a 'we think you might try to run away' shackle. It was a 'this is a wild bull and we have to chain him down for the safety of the crowds' shackle. Behind each contestant was a vid-screen with printed information: their name, their mistress, their pertinent physical statistics, and their fighting records.

Scarlet led him past Rocky's stall. There really wasn't any way to avoid it. The guy had more muscles than the computer generated version of the Incredible Hulk. He outweighed Tim by over forty percent, and there were no weight classes in these Games. He wore a stoic frown as if permanently posing for the cover of Badass magazine. Dr. Westphalen saw Tim staring with his jaw on the floor. She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "Don't look, Puppy. This is all about psyching out the competition. Forget him."

"Yes, mistress," he mumbled, tearing his gaze away from the harbinger of doom. He tried to remember Will's lectures about how size didn't matter. After all, Will himself weighed less than Tim, and regularly threw him across the gym floor. _This is about leverage and maneuvering, not bulk_, he repeated in his mind, trying to reassure himself.

_That's right_, Mary echoed. _And don't you forget it._

_I thought we agreed you shouldn't mindlink with me, Beautiful. It's too distracting._

_Yes, yes, I know. I also know you haven't even started yet, so stop your worrying_. _I love you no matter what. You'll do fine._ She didn't linger after that, and he had to admit she'd lifted his mood.

After the eight veteran stalls there was a semi-circular area for the new contestants. Their individual displays were the same, but they weren't ranked yet. Commander Ford already had a stall and he was doing an excellent job of looking just like Rocky, all muscular and buff, with his face looking stern and somber. Scarlet handed Tim's paperwork to a Games official and they ushered her to his stall. Tim offered his ankle dispassionately and Dr. Westphalen whispered, "I'm sorry," as she locked the shackle.

He gave her a weak smile and a nod. He volunteered for this, so he had no right no make her feel even one iota of regret over what had to be done. She smiled and winked, then patted him on the shoulder and left.

Tim looked over his shoulder at the stats behind him and sighed. It wasn't that he minded being gawked at by all the judges who were deciding how to rank the newcomers or the giggling women spectators deciding who to bet on. He just hated having that silly Puppy label along with his weight and height broadcasted for all to see. Wasn't the skin-tight revelation of the leather costume enough humiliation? Did they really have to put it in writing too? His only consolation was that no one from _seaQuest_ had cameras to document this.

He stood up straight, but he didn't puff his chest out or try to scowl, as it would only look fake and ridiculous on him. Another newcomer entered the stall on his right. His stats said his name was Snookums. Tim saw a lot less muscle on this poor guy. And he looked not so much fearful as sad. The woman who locked him to the floor spoke in a callous tone, growling and threatening about how he'd better last at least three minutes. She didn't care who ended up owning him or whether he got hurt or anything else, as long as she won some stupid bet. What could he have done to be so loathsome in her sight? Tim didn't like the idea of becoming the property of some random Juno mistress, but he couldn't help but think that this guy couldn't do much worse.

Madam Lynx walked by with Tiger and Skippy on leashes. Tim didn't acknowledge any of them. He could have spoken to Wendy without anyone knowing, but she probably would have looked at him if he tried it. What was there to say, anyway? Hey, check out my embarrassing personal stats put out here for everyone to laugh at. Like it was any news to _her_. Wendy knew worse stuff about him than this. A _lot_ worse.

He stood there silently like some 4H kid's blue-ribbon pig for what seemed hours, but the clock on the wall proved otherwise. It had only been twenty minutes. The last stall finally filled up and someone announced that the Games were full. Tim didn't realize they limited the contestants to sixteen, but it made sense. He knew how seeding tournaments worked because his uncle's yacht club used them. Since all of his shipmates had already checked in, it didn't matter.

About five minutes after the announcement, the rankings were posted. Tim drew Number 16. No big surprise there. But it did mean his first match would be against Rocky. He entertained a daydream of actually beating him and surprising the hell out of everyone, but that was just a fantasy and he knew it. All he hoped to do was wear him down a little so that the next person to go against him would have it slightly easier. That and not dying.

However, Snookums' mistress threw a major fit about Snookums being ranked 15 instead of 16. Whatever bet she'd made must have presumed Snookums would be in the ring with Rocky. So Tim heard his cover name, Puppy, being yelled by a strange woman who insisted her slave was 'obviously inferior' to him. Yeah, that was just what he needed to feel better. He didn't even try to answer her ranting. He would have gladly let Snookums fight Rocky in his place except he knew that Snookums would end up belonging to Gianna and he wouldn't wish that on anyone. Besides, he had no say-so in the matter.

The judges wouldn't change the ranking, so Snookums' mistress pulled him out of the competition completely. They moved Tim's seed up to 15 and left 16 empty, giving Rocky a bye in the first round. The Number 2 guy didn't look quite as formidable as Rocky, but Tim felt a strange disappointment that he wasn't going to get to play meat tenderizer for the prize bull. The Number 2 seed was only important as a stepping stone. Once Rocky was beaten by someone from _Splendor_, Number 2 could win the whole darned competition, for all anyone cared.

Shan was given the highest seed available to the newbies, Number 9, and Commander Ford got Number 10. Brody landed Number 12. The matches would not run concurrently as Wendy had feared they might. They ran one-at-a-time, probably to maximize the entertainment value. It appeared nearly everyone who lived on Juno was in the stands.

And Tim was up first. Some official-looking woman came and unlocked the shackle from his ankle and then pushed him toward the arena. His opponent was already there and his stats were too, displayed on the huge scoreboard. 'Crusher' had thirty pounds on Puppy, probably all of it solid muscle. The man could be the poster boy for any body-building product in the world. The crowd booed Puppy as he entered the ring. Oddly, it didn't bother him. They didn't want him to win, so when he inevitably lost, they'd all be happy. Other than the looming possibility of broken bones, paralysis, and death, this shouldn't be so bad. It wasn't like Tim was any stranger to getting beat up.

The winner of the 15-2 match would go up against the winner of the 10-7 match. And since Commander Ford was Number 10, that meant Crusher would be _his_ next opponent. It didn't even occur to him that Ford could lose. Number 7 hadn't looked like much of a challenge. Tim could probably have dispatched Number 7 himself. Therefore, Tim's main goal was to wear Crusher down a bit so that Ford could take him out as quickly as possible. He still had several fights to go before meeting Rocky.

Someone introduced Governor Nelson, who sauntered up to a podium and gave a short speech on the illustrious history of the Gladiator Games and then announced, "Let the Games begin!"

Crusher's mistress had entered the ring in the far corner, so Scarlet crawled between the ropes and stood in front of Tim. She took his glasses off and handed him a pair of fighting goggles. These wouldn't fall off his face, and they were made of some kind of unbreakable lens material. The prescription wasn't perfect, as they really didn't have enough advance notice to get something custom-made, but it was close enough that he could see. He adjusted the straps and nodded to Dr. Westphalen that they were fine. They could both hear Crusher's mistress giving him an elaborate pep talk. Tim found this hilarious. It was going to be an easy win for Crusher, so psyching him up like that was just a waste of breath.

Dr. Westphalen wore a grave, concerned look, so Tim tried to lighten her mood. "Hey, it's just pain. Don't end it too soon, unless, of course, I'm dying."

She lifted a brow and whispered, "I can end this right now, Lieutenant."

Tim matched her whisper, but he tried to stay in character. "And then he just pulverizes Ebony instead. It's all right. You can patch me up. Besides, it's for _Lucas_."

He'd started to look down while he talked and she lifted his chin with a single finger. Her brown eyes gazed back with compassion. "You just remember what Nathan said, hmm? We'll get Lucas back, but not at the cost of anyone else. You're not expendable."

He nodded.

"You know, the other three entered this with the idea of _defeating_ their challengers. But you know you're going to get beat up and probably lose, and you're here anyway. That's bravery."

He chuckled. "Or stupidity. Don't worry, I'll try to make it look good."

"To hell with making it look good, Tim! Shan has been teaching you self-defense, so _defend_ yourself. You're not this big oaf's punching bag, you got it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"That wasn't your mistress or your doctor talking. That was your _friend_."

He smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

She sidled up to him and gave him a sort of half-hug with one arm around his back and he couldn't help but think that he got a much better pep-talk than Crusher did. She retreated out of the ring and Shortcake, Lynx, Katerina, and Bootlicker all gathered around her. He had his own little cheering section.

A gong sounded and Crusher charged out of his corner like a raging bull. Startled, Tim sidestepped and Crusher couldn't compensate fast enough; he plowed through and hit the ropes. The crowd roared its disapproval, but Tim's little booster club cheered. Crusher came back, growling mad and throwing punches. Tim deflected three jabs in a row without thinking. The big guy's brows knit in frustration while Tim's confidence started to grow. He really _could_ defend himself.

The next punch connected but it had been wild and ill-placed and although it hurt a little, it wasn't serious. Thereafter, everything happened in somewhat of a blur. Blows landed on his chest and to his gut, but Tim dodged a lot more than he ever realized he could. This big guy was a whole lot slower than Shan or Lucas. Every once in a while, Tim landed a blow himself. It surprised him when it happened, but he was operating on some sort of instinctive auto-pilot, just doing whatever he thought would work, whatever kept his opponent confused, tired, and moving. Tim didn't even remember deciding to throw a kick, but out of nowhere his leg suddenly thwapped Crusher in the side and he lost his balance and fell over on one knee.

Shortcake screamed, "Yes!" Somewhere in his peripheral vision, Tim thought he saw someone in his corner jumping up and down. But the underdog was careful not to let one little victory make him overconfident. Crusher didn't stay down, of course, and he was not only frustrated, but starting to hear boos and jeers directed at _him_.

Tim took a jab to his nose and mouth that stung pretty bad and made something bleed. Dr. Westphalen used one of her time-outs to stop the bleeding. "How do you feel?" she asked in a whisper.

"Not bad," he said. The look on her face said she didn't believe him. "Honest. I thought I'd be out cold in under two minutes. I know this looks bad, but it really doesn't hurt that much."

"You're doing fantastic. Crusher is tired and he's scared."

"Scared?" She had to just be saying that to make him feel better.

"Yes, scared. I don't know how they keep score on these things, but I think you're _winning_."

_No way_. It was just too ridiculous. He gave her an incredulous look.

"You knocked him down."

"And he gave me a bloody nose."

"He can't keep his balance. You're faster than he is and you have better moves. All he has is size and he knows it isn't enough. Look in his eyes. He knows."

Tim was tired, in fact, he was downright exhausted. And lots of his body parts hurt right now. But what she was saying was just so darned funny that he couldn't help but grin. "Hey, if I win, you get to keep him. What's the captain going to say?"

She tossed the bloody towel in his face and smirked at him. "I'm not _keeping_ him. You weren't here when we discussed this but anyone we win will get to choose what he wants, staying here or leaving."

"So if he wants to leave Juno, we'll bring him with us?"

She nodded.

Suddenly, Tim cared a whole lot more about winning. He'd be _freeing_ a slave! Of course, there was a good chance Crusher liked it here and didn't want to leave, but the fact remained that he was going to get beat by Commander Ford if not by Tim, so why not save a step? _What am I saying? I can't beat this guy!_

Wendy cleared her throat. "Yes you can."

Dr. Westphalen whirled around to face Wendy, who stood outside the ring, but right behind her. "Can what?"

"Sorry, Tim, but there's so much adrenalin in your system that I can't block you." She spoke to Dr. Westphalen. "He'd always planned to lose. You just gave him a good reason to win, but he doesn't think he can."

The elder doctor spun back and locked eyes with her bloody-nose patient. "Tim, I wouldn't have thought you could either. He's huge and he's got a nasty attitude. But you surprised everyone. No one is pressuring you to win, but I think you can do it. But it's up to you. Say the word and I'll throw in the towel right now."

"You really think I could _win_?"

"Yes, I really do."

The gong indicated the time-out was over. Puppy gave his mistress a wink, a grin, and a thumb's up. She shook her head in wonderment as she left the ring.

Crusher attacked with renewed fervor. Tim, buoyed by the confidence of Drs. Smith and Westphalen, wasn't fazed by the bully's attempt to make a comeback. He did what he'd been doing since the start and just tried to get out of the way and block the punches and the kicks. Crusher's kicking was really weak. He probably counted on sheer intimidation and the strength of his blows to win, but that assumed he could hit the target. And Dr. Westphalen was right. He was _slow_.

Tim was not an aggressive person. He could almost convince himself that Crusher was the reincarnation of Philippe, one of Beauregard's thugs, who died in a fight with Dagwood. Jacques, Philippe, and Beauregard were the only men Tim could muster up enough venom against to want to hurt them. Okay, well, maybe the three air force spec-ops guys who'd pulverized him at 50,000 feet, but he'd forgiven Slate right before he died, so he couldn't really hate the guy anymore. Besides, none of them were the physical match for Crusher that Philippe had been.

Transferring his (what did Wendy call it?) unresolved hostility toward Philippe to Crusher along with self-assurance that beating him in this match would ultimately be doing him a favor, Tim found the will to change his tactics from defensive to offensive. It wasn't like flipping a switch and suddenly becoming all-out aggressive, but little by little he found himself spending more time and thought on getting in some good licks of his own, rather than solely blocking the blows Crusher tried. And more and more, he could see that Dr. Westphalen was right. This big hulk of a man was scared. He knew the scrawny little newcomer who was seeded last wasn't the wimp everyone assumed.

And the more Tim succeeded in landing punches and kicks, the more it fed his confidence. A roundhouse kick to the head sent Crusher reeling and his mistress called a time-out. Tim went to his corner, tired and hurting, but strangely euphoric. All his friends applauded. The ladies shouted encouragement, but Ben and Tony whooped it up like he'd already won. Tim wished Will had been able to see this. He was never going to believe it otherwise.

The doctors asked how he was doing and he waved his hand in the so-so gesture. But they could probably see in his posture and through his smile that he wasn't all that bad. Everyone patted him on the back and kept saying "Good going" and "That was an awesome move" and the like. Tim listened and drank in every word, nodding his appreciation to the givers, but he also focused some attention across the ring at his opponent.

If Crusher's mistress had cared about this man like a pet, this would have been a good time to show it. They guy was hurting and humiliated. She could have asked after his welfare or offered to throw in the towel so she wouldn't have to lose him. She could have shown him compassionate eyes and touched his beat-up face tenderly, like Dr. Westphalen did with Tim. But none of those things happened. She lectured Crusher in scathing tones, treating him like a naughty child, as if he'd been losing purposely to shame _her_. Surely, he could feel no devotion to a woman who was so insensitive. Her callous attitude bolstered Tim's determination to free the poor guy. And furthermore, he wanted to do it soon. Every minute the fight continued just prolonged Crusher's humiliation. Now Tim wanted not only to win, but to end it quickly.

The time-out expired and Tim returned to the center of the ring. Crusher returned slowly, with pained steps and a weary look on his face. Tim was tempted to tell him that he was doing him a favor to win this, that everything would be better for him when he lost. He was tempted to tell him to just stand still while he delivered a knockout blow, so it would all be over. But the guy had too much pride to take a fall, even for his own benefit.

Still, Tim didn't feel right prolonging the agony, and thus he didn't hesitate to let loose with the best attacks and slickest moves he'd tried so far. He surprised even himself that he still had any strength or finesse left in him at this point, but when he saw the fight in terms beyond Lucas, terms that benefited the challenger as much as Team Splendor, it was like his auto-pilot took over and Crusher somehow ended up lying on his back, unconscious.

The judges declared Puppy the winner and Dr. Westphalen rushed into the ring and knelt over Crusher. Such an act might have been highly suspicious, except that she owned him now, so it didn't seem illogical for her to show concern over him.

"Is he going to be okay?" Tim asked. How horrible would it be if, in trying to help him, he ended up doing permanent damage?

Dr. Westphalen nodded. "Yes, I think so. Would you go see if they'll let Dr. Smith come help me?"

The match was over and Tim's little cheering section had already crossed the ropes to pat him on the back. Wendy heard the request and hurried to join Dr. Westphalen. Crusher's mistress stomped over from her corner and threw Crusher's ownership papers on the floor, right next to his head. She growled, "Worthless piece of shit," before she stomped off.

"Ignore her," Dr. Westphalen cooed to her new patient sweetly. "I don't think you're worthless at all."

A tear leaked out of Crusher's eye. Tim saw the pain in his face and backed away with a huge knot growing in his stomach. He could have _killed_ the man for all the control he'd shown.

Wendy turned her head to address him. "He's not hurt that badly."

"I don't even remember what I did," Tim said.

"Do you remember during your beating how you swiped a year's worth of anatomy and physiology instruction out of my mind?"

Why was she bringing that up now? Didn't he feel badly enough? He nodded, but Wendy was too busy with Crusher to look up at him. So he mumbled, "Yeah."

"Well, evidently you just put it to good use. Your subconscious knew just where to hit him."

_But then why is he crying?_ Tim switched to Transmitting so he didn't say it out loud.

She chuckled. "Get Mary to connect with me and I'll tell you."

_Mary, honey…_

_Tim! Are you all right?_

_You're not going to believe this, but I won._

_You did? Well, of course you did! Why wouldn't I believe it? I knew you could do it!_

_I didn't expect to win. Can you pull Wendy in? She's treating my opponent. I think I really hurt him badly._

_You should have seen him, Mary. He was magnificent, _Wendy said, obviously just joining their conversation and unaware of what he'd just said.

_Ahem. You were going to tell me how I didn't really hurt him? Grown men don't cry for nothing._

_It's not physical. It's emotional,_ Wendy explained.

_Oh, because I humiliated him._

_No. Didn't you notice? It started when Kristin said he wasn't worthless. There's no neurological damage. You interrupted the circulation to his brain, so he passed out. It's no worse than a fainting spell. That woman who just treated him like dirt? He would have done anything for her. He's heartbroken, Tim. It's because we're treating him like a human being instead of cattle. He doesn't know how to react to anyone caring about him beyond what they can get out of him._

_You did good, sweety, _Mary said. _How long until your next match?_

Tim's heart sank. He'd totally forgotten that winning meant he had to do this _again_. _Uh, I don't know. There are six more matches before round two. Hey, wait. Unless Commander Ford loses, my next match will be with him. _That meant nobody had to get hurt and Tim could take a dive gracefully. They wouldn't even have to waste a towel. Hitchcock wasn't going to keep him enslaved any more than Dr. Westphalen planned to. It was all just smoke and mirrors. He and Ford could do a little exhibition match and then Ford could knock him down and that would be the end of it. Scarlet wasn't going to scold him for losing. In fact, Tim thought she might enjoy showing those heartless mistresses how to lose gracefully.

Someone laid a hand on Tim's shoulder. He jumped. But when he saw it was a Games official, he didn't know if he should say anything or not. Didn't Helga tell them a hundred times that all women were superiors here? Both doctors were busy with Crusher, but Katerina saw his dilemma and spoke up. "What do you want with him?"

"He has to go back to his stall. He's not allowed to watch."

Scarlet looked up from the ring. "I'll be done in a minute. Can you wait?"

Katerina waved her off. "It's all right, Scarlet. I'll go with Puppy."

Tim didn't care that he wasn't allowed to watch. He didn't have the strength to hold his head up anyway. He was going to talk to Mary a little and then try to sleep. They wouldn't let Katerina into the stall with him when they chained him down. After all, she owned his next opponent. She stood back for appearances' sake, but she didn't bother hiding that she knew him. "That was one hell of a fight, Puppy."

Coming from Hitchcock, that was really a compliment. "Thank you, Lady Katerina."

"As I recall, I didn't think you should enter. I was wrong."

"Would you let Tiger know? He deserves all the credit."

"I'll let him know. Take it easy now."

"Yes, ma'am."


	20. Chapter 59 Interlude and Round Two

**Chapter 59**

Katie couldn't believe how well they were doing in these ridiculous Gladiator Games. She'd expected Shan and Ford to win because their opponents were lower seeds, but even Brody had done a pretty good job of dispatching Number 5, and no one could believe O'Neill beating Number 2, not even O'Neill himself. The next round would have O'Neill going up against Ford and Katie didn't even want to predict what might happen there.

Of the four new "pets" they'd acquired through winning, only one was seriously hurt. Shan felt badly about injuring Number 8, but Katie reminded him that he couldn't hold back. He was due to fight Rocky next. If O'Neill could defeat Number 2, and he had only been Shan's _student_, surely Shan could beat Number 1. But as yet, no one had seen Rocky in action and it made Katie nervous. While Dr. Westphalen was attending to the medical needs of Number 8, Katie and Wendy took Number 2, Number 5, and Number 7 into a small room in the coliseum complex.

Wendy started. "Lady Katerina and Domina Scarlet and I are all friends. We came here together and we're planning to leave together. Crusher, did Scarlet tell you that we're speaking for her?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. We came here for one reason: Gianna Valentino kidnapped an eighteen-year-old friend of ours—a vanilla friend—and she's holding him here against his will. We want him back. She told us that if we could beat Rocky, she'd sell him to us privately, because we aren't residents and we can't bid at auction."

"Wait. You're not real Dommes?" Number 5 asked.

"That depends on your definition," Katie said. "We're dead serious about getting our friend back, and I think you can agree that the men posing as our slaves are serious too."

"_Posing?_" Number 7 asked.

"They signed the papers," Wendy said, "but as soon as we leave Juno, we're going to shred them. We're giving you that same chance. Leave with us and you're free."

"But where will we go?"

"Anywhere you want," Katie said. "We'll be docking with _seaQuest_ and eventually Bootlicker and I will head home to Hawaii. I've got a submarine and a jet-copter. I can literally drop you off anywhere you want."

All three of the guys sat dumbfounded, staring at her in disbelief.

"If any of you want to stay here," Wendy said gently, "we'll arrange to give you to the mistress of your choice, or, if you agree," she slowed down and stressed the part about agreement, "we can make you part of the package we trade for our friend. Gianna will probably put you up for auction, but we can't vouch for that."

"So Scarlet doesn't want me either," Number 2 said in a profoundly sad voice.

"She's married," Wendy informed him. "And very happily, I might add."

The big guy looked like he'd just lost his last friend in the world. "Doesn't matter. Do whatever you want with me."

Katie felt badly for the big lug, but this situation was way out of her area of expertise. Arrogant enlisted men who didn't respect a female superior, _them_, she could handle. She shot a pleading look at the professional psychologist.

Wendy put her arm around Crusher's shoulders. "You don't have to decide yet, but I know for a fact that Kri—Scarlet cares what happens to you. She meant it when she said you're not worthless—not to her, not to _any_ of us. If we didn't care, we'd use you as bargaining chips and never give it a second thought."

He nodded, but even Katie could tell it was just out of respect. This guy didn't argue with women, no matter who they were.

Number 7, the one Katie had inherited from Jonathan's win, whispered an aside to her: "How about you? Are you married?"

Katie felt her cheeks warm. "Uh…no. But Bootlicker has an exclusive."

"Lucky sap," he said dejectedly.

Wendy didn't take much of her attention off Crusher, but she did wink acknowledgement that she'd heard her declaration about Ben. Katie had to smile. She could use Number's 7's apparent interest as fuel to tease Ben with, when he was feeling up to joking, of course. She was already pretty proud of him. He'd been a great supporter for every match they'd watched. It probably helped that they stood the whole time one of their own people was in the ring, which had been four out of the first seven matches. The next round would be three out of four.

First up would be O'Neill against Ford. Katie had been impressed with Tim, but she really didn't think he could beat Jonathan. She wanted to encourage the two of them to decide a winner amongst themselves and not risk any more injuries or waste energy on fighting each other. However, she was afraid if she suggested such a thing that Tim would feel slighted and Jonathan's pride would demand that he _prove_ he didn't need anyone to throw the fight. Besides, even a suggestion would probably feel too much like a mistress order. It didn't seem right removing what little free will they had left. She didn't like it, but she had to trust them.

After their fight, Brody was fighting Number 4, and then Shan would fight Number 1. It was really too bad Shan's match couldn't be first, because then they might avoid all the other fights completely. Rocky had a considerable weight differential on his side, but Tim had proven that size didn't matter. Katie felt confident Shan could beat him. Of course, her confidence wasn't 100%, or she'd pull the others out right now. There just was no telling with these things. Why women would ever organize such a barbaric spectacle of testosterone was beyond her.

Wendy was still talking to Crusher while Number 7 and Number 5 chatted amongst themselves. After a few minutes, the two of them looked at Katie. "If it'll help, I'm willing to get traded for your friend," Number 5 said.

Number 7 nodded. "Yeah, auctions are a rush. I'm in too."

Katie cleared her throat. "Are you _sure_? I have enough gold to buy our friend at the price Gianna agreed to."

"Well, I'd rather belong to you, Lady Katerina," Number 7 said, flashing deep brown eyes and a sexy smile, "but if you're taken, I may as well stay here. Not like there are any decent D/s communities in Hawaii."

"How about New York? I'm taking my friend Helga back there. She could probably introduce you to some nice ladies—or mean ladies. You know what I mean. Ladies who'd find you attractive."

Number 5 shrugged. "Our chances are better here. Besides, this is home. I don't want to go back to Vanillaville."

Katie almost laughed at his term for the world outside Juno. "Okay. Whatever makes you happy." Gianna was going to be very pissed when she lost Rocky and _he_ might not want to go back to her. Two extra Gladiators thrown in should sweeten the deal into irresistible, shouldn't it? She was still very much afraid that none of her guys could beat Gianna's Incredible Bulk and then Lucas would be sold at auction. She couldn't get the image of him begging at her feet out of her mind. He was too young to be treated like so much dirt, too innocent to be sold like a piece of meat. She had to shake her head to banish the memory of his haunting eyes, trusting her to get him out of here.

Someone knocked on the door. "Come," she called.

Tony and Ben stood in the doorway. "I found him," Ben said. He didn't have to say who and Katie didn't need to ask.

Katie stood. "Did you talk to him?"

Ben shook his head and sighed. "He saw me, but he indicated it was a bad idea to talk."

"How's he holding up?"

"As well as can be expected. He's chained just outside of some expensive-looking private box. At least he has a great view of the Games."

"He's doin' all right, ma'am," Tony said. Katie couldn't tell if he was using his Navy manners or his undercover ones.

"Good work, guys. Keep an eye on him and let me know if Gianna moves him."

"Done," Ben said with conviction.

"Domina Scarlet said she needs Madam Lynx," Tony reported loudly enough that Wendy could hear if she wasn't too deep in conversation with Crusher. "But it's not an emergency. She wanted me to tell ya that."

Wendy turned around and spoke to Katie. "Can you stay here with Crusher? I don't think he should be alone." Something in her voice and the meaningful look in Wendy's eyes told Katie that she was worried for his mental health, like maybe Crusher was suicidal or something.

"Sure, I can stay with him." Wendy got up to go, patting Crusher on the back as she left. Katie turned to Number 7 and Number 5. "Do you guys have names? There's no way I'm calling you Cream Puff and Pookie."

Number 7 beamed his charmer smile at her. "You're my mistress. You can give me any name you want."

Wendy caught on fast and pointed to Number 5. "I'm calling him Butch. You can have Sundance."

Katie laughed. She turned to Number 7. "How about it, Sundance? That okay with you?"

He got down on one knee and kissed her hand. "Thank you. That's a hundred times better than Cream Puff."

She was starting to entertain thoughts of keeping him. Ben wouldn't mind a male housekeeper, would he? _Sheesh, Katie, snap out of it_. "Shortcake and Bootlicker, would you show Butch and Sundance to our seats? They're going to be with us for a little while."

"Yes, ma'am," Tony said.

Ben gave her a silent glance that told her he'd noticed Sundance's attention, but he focused instead on the large man she was suggesting he leave her alone with. He cleared his throat. "Are you sure you're all right here?"

She understood that he was looking to protect her from the very intimidating-looking man, but he had no idea what he was really like. She shook her head. "No. Crusher here can look after me." She paused just a second, watching Ben's reaction. He nodded and turned to go. He didn't seem jealous or peeved to her, and for Ben that was either very good acting or a lot of maturity.

"Ben?" She used his real name on purpose. He turned only his head. "Thanks."

He rewarded her with a smile and a nod before he closed the door.

For a few uncomfortable seconds, neither Katie nor Crusher spoke. She cleared her throat and broke the silence. "For what it's worth, I don't want to give you to Gianna. We'll do it if that's what you want, but I don't trust that woman for a nanosecond."

"You're probably right. She'll just auction us off. I'm probably worth a lot to someone."

Katie swallowed and chose her words carefully. "Have you ever thought that you're worth a whole lot more than just gold coins? You have a heart and a soul and you shouldn't have to win fights just for someone to care about you."

He shook his head, staring at the floor. "I'm not good at anything else."

There was a knock at the door, but Katie didn't have time to say anything before the door opened and Kristin entered. "Tiger's opponent is going to be just fine. The cut doesn't even need stitches."

"That's good to hear. I think Crusher could use some of your bedside manner, Doc."

"Yes, I thought he might. That was why I had Wendy take over with Tom."

"Tom?"

"Tiger's opponent. Number 8. She didn't like calling him Killer. She's having _the chat_ with him now." In other words, she was repeating the same choices to him that the other three had been given.

Dr. Westphalen sat next to the man who dwarfed her and took his hand. "Now, what does your mother call you? I can't believe it's 'Crusher'."

He shook his head. "My momma died when I was nine."

"Do you miss her?"

He nodded emphatically and Katie thought he might be too choked up to use his voice. This guy might be big and strong on the outside, but inside, he was like a frightened little boy.

"What did she call you then?"

"Matthew."

"Well, that's a lovely name. Much better than Crusher. Do you mind if we call you that?"

"Okay. But can I ask you something?"

"Of course. And you don't have to ask permission to speak to me if we're alone like this. That's only for Juno people."

"Why are you being so nice to me if you don't even want me?"

Kristin scoffed. "You don't beat about the bush, do you? Speaking in civilized tones and talking to you like you're a human being isn't 'nice', it's just common courtesy."

"But I'm nobody."

"Like hell you are. Look, it's still your choice, but I'd like you to come back to _seaQuest_ with me—not as my property. As my _friend _and guest."

Katie raised a brow, but kept her mouth shut. She didn't think Bridger would be too happy, but if anyone could sweet-talk him into it, it would be Kristin. Matthew sat utterly still and quiet.

"Dr. Smith—er—Lynx is a counselor. I think it would be good if you had some time to talk with her."

"You think I'm nuts."

"No, Matthew. You've been lied to. Someone told you that you weren't worth anything and you believed it."

"I can believe anything you want."

Kristin smiled warmly. "I don't want you to believe it because I said it. I want you to find out for yourself that it's really true. You can have friends who treat you with respect and kindness without expecting to get anything from you. You can tell women no and you can choose what you want to do."

"You think your friends will really like me?"

"Of course they will! And if they don't, I'll pummel them," she joked in an overly obvious tone.

"I like you," Katie blurted out in an attempt to be helpful, but it sounded pretty lame once it left her lips. "But then again, I don't want her to pummel me." Kristin flashed her a dirty look, followed immediately by a wink.

Matthew didn't take his eyes off his hand held in Kristin's. "I'll go with you if you want me to."

"Good," Katie said. "Gianna sure doesn't deserve to get a great guy like you."

"Thank you, Lady Katerina."

"You're welcome, Matthew. And when we get away from Juno, you can call me Katie."

He didn't argue, but he didn't agree either. He'd probably have trouble being familiar with women. _On second thought…_

"Or Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock. I'm a reservist in the UEO Navy."

He looked at her and smiled for the first time. "I can do that."

They joined the other guys and Wendy back at the arena. Katie didn't like the fact that they'd have to split up. She had to be in Jonathan's corner while Kristin was in Tim's. Worst of all, it was going to be impossible for Jonathan and Tim to talk to _each other, _at least not alone. They arrived separately, herded by Games officials. Tim didn't have his glasses on, which looked extremely strange for him. The way he was walking and the way he squinted also suggested that he'd just awoken from a nap. The cut over Jonathan's eye was still rather red and sore-looking under the butterfly bandage. She'd never say it to his face, but he looked rather haggard.

"O'Neill beat the number two guy? What happened?"

She felt bad that she'd neglected to tell him Tim won. She purposely didn't tell him before his own first match, just in case he lost. But she should have told him afterwards so he didn't have to worry in the meantime. "Shan taught him really well."

"So what's the plan?"

"Tim never thought he would make it this far. There is no plan." _But if you could just swallow your pride and tell him what to do, he probably wouldn't hesitate to let you win_. She didn't voice her silent thought. Jonathan couldn't just tell someone to let him win, no matter how willing the opponent might be.

"Katie, I don't want to hurt him."

"Good. So don't." He still had no idea how difficult it was to connect a hit on Tim. The skinny guy was fair at offense, but he was excellent at defending himself. She wanted more time to brief him, but the gong sounded. Jonathan was no idiot. He could figure this out. She slapped him on the back and left the ring.

Tim had on his goggles now. While they looked a little more normal than a bare face, it still seemed odd to see him without his glasses. The crowds made a steady stream of noise, but Katie could see both Ford's and O'Neill's mouths moving. So they were communicating. Jonathan tried some easy jabs, but Tim deflected them in such a way that looked almost absent-minded to Katie. Was Jonathan telling him what punch he was planning just before he threw it? She was sure he was at first. Then he started to look frustrated. His punches got a little more aggressive and his mouth had stopped moving, and still Tim was blocking at least 80% of what Jonathan tried.

But Tim wasn't fighting back, just blocking. He'd probably agreed to just let Jonathan attempt to hit him, to make it look good.

Then Katie heard Jonathan over the yells of the crowd. Probably no one else could make it out, except maybe Kristin. "Stop holding back, Lieutenant. Let's see what you can do." Katie had half a mind to scold him right then for breaking cover, but he could always say it was just a meaningless taunt. Besides, it was unlikely anyone else heard it over the din.

A right hook came out of nowhere and hit Ford in the mouth. His lip started to bleed. Katie called time out. When she got close enough, she growled low. "What happened to not wanting to hurt him?"

"Hurt _him_? I haven't connected a decent hit and _my_ lip is bleeding, not his!"

"Well maybe you're too tired. Should we just let him win?"

"Can he beat Rocky?"

She applied a clean towel to his bloody lip. "Who knows? Can you?"

"Not if I keep this up."

"Then just tell him to stand still so you can end it. I heard him talking to Dr. Westphalen after his last fight. He only entered to help you and the others. He's probably just as eager to have it over with as you are."

"I can't tell him to hold still so I can hit him! That's not fair to him and it wouldn't look right."

_Boys!_ "Commander, why are we here?" she asked rhetorically and under her breath. Tim understood. _She_ could have faked a punch that looked good and did what was needed. Why couldn't Jonathan?

He sucked in his breath and nodded. The gong sounded and she checked his lip. The bleeding had either stopped or slowed enough that he wasn't going to leave a trail.

But back in the ring, it didn't look like anything had changed. Ford was landing more of his punches, either because Tim was wearing down, or because he was trying harder to make it look even. He was connecting with Jonathan's chest and face every now and then too. So, in the name of making the fight 'look good', they were both getting tired and pretty well beat up.

Katie contemplated whether to say something to Tim herself. She outranked him and the captain had put her in charge. She could technically overrule Ford and Tim would probably obey. He really didn't look good.

"Oh for goodness sake," Dr. Westphalen exclaimed melodramatically and loudly enough to be heard at the opposite corner. Then Katie saw the white towel landing just behind where the guys stood. "That's enough, Puppy. I'm _not_ losing you."

Relief washed over Tim's face. She couldn't see Jonathan, but she sure hoped he mirrored the feeling. Katie felt more than a little foolish that she hadn't pre-arranged this with Kristin. Obviously, men couldn't be trusted to show restraint, even in a stupid contest no one was supposed to care about.

The towel-throwing brought gasps and several women screamed at Kristin, insisting she couldn't forfeit like that. She ignored them and placed her arm around Tim's back and escorted him off the ring and all the way to their seats in the audience. Katie couldn't help thinking that her actions probably had something to do with Matthew watching so closely.

In answer to the unruly crowds that were starting to look like _they_ might attack, Katie stepped up to the nearest contest judge, handed her the rule book opened to page 31, with the pertinent passage highlighted in neon pink. The judge read it, shook her head, and then raised Jonathan's hand to declare him the winner. She also announced that Domina Scarlet was disqualified and banned from the Games.

It may have been her imagination, but Katie was almost sure she heard a voice sounding much like the good doctor's saying, "Good!" when the contest judge was done.

* * *

**_A/N: To anyone who read this before 5/6/11, yes, I changed it. Crusher gave his name as Paul before, but that is Mary's dead husband's name. I totally forgot I used the name Paul before. So now Crusher will be Matthew, not Paul. Sorry for any confusion._**


	21. Chapter 60 Game of Cat and Mouse

_**Author's Note: Well, I messed up with names. Again. If you read Chapter 59 the first 24 hours it was up, I had Crusher saying that his given name was Paul. And of course, Kristin would use whatever name his momma called him. But Paul is Mary's dead husband's name and it's just silly to always have to clarify which Paul I am talking about, especially with both names tied closely to Tim. I revised Chapter 59 so that Crusher says his name is Matthew. Kristin didn't change his name from Paul to Matthew. I am just pretending (and asking you to pretend along with me) that it was always Matthew. Matthew=Crusher=Number 2. Same big guy. Paul = Mary's first husband, who tried to sell her to a sheik for her telepathic abilities, and was killed by said sheik. Okay? Sheesh, I need to have crib notes for my own stories.**_

* * *

**Chapter 60**

Wendy had come close to telling Kristin to throw in the towel for Tim. He was a lot more hurt than he was letting anyone know, except that all the energy he was expending to hide it from Jonathan and the spectators meant he lost the ability to hide it in mindlink. Mary wasn't speaking to him during the fight, as they'd both agreed was a distraction. But she had blanket permission to read him empathically and although he had blocked her on a few occasions when he had the energy and concentrated hard, Mary said that most of the time, he just kept himself an open book to her. During the fight, she could read his emotions and gauge his pain, and by extension, so could Wendy.

The lieutenant and the commander had been trying to make it look good, right up until Jonathan's ego got a little bruised. Wendy refrained from scanning him, but it was pretty obvious just from what she could see and hear. Tim wanted to take a dive, but Jonathan ordered him not to, so he did as he was told and the two of them just kept hitting and kicking each other with no apparent end in sight.

Thank goodness Kristin figured everything out on her own and ended it for them. She'd probably deny it, but, like Nathan, Kristin had a high psi factor. It was undeveloped, of course, but she had good intuition and she was generally not afraid to act when she saw someone else in pain, particularly anyone she considered _her_ patient. And Tim was not only her patient, but her friend, and, for this mission, her "pet". Being a mistress here was more than just ordering guys around, dressing them in ridiculous clothes, and smacking butts just because they could. They'd joked around a lot, but Kristin, Katie, and Wendy all felt that the undercover relationship, however fake, was a solemn responsibility. Men were vulnerable here.

In Wendy's admittedly emotional opinion, Jonathan owed Tim an apology. But Tim would never reveal how much pain he was in so that the commander could understand what he'd done. It was a male ego thing and she knew better than to interfere. Neither one of them would appreciate it. They'd probably both write off the whole incident as just another unpleasant task they'd performed in the line of duty. Jonathan would see it as delivering an excellent performance and Tim might even realize he wasn't so inferior physically to the other officers anymore. If beating Matthew hadn't been enough of a boost, surely holding his own against Jonathan couldn't hurt.

Thank goodness _that_ little foray into futility was finally over. Dr. Westphalen had Tim under her watchful doctor's eye as well as her protective mama wing. Wendy didn't need to give them another thought, which was a very good thing considering that Jim and Will were fighting back-to-back matches right after the bout that immediately followed Tim and Jonathan's. Number 6 and Number 3 were currently duking it out to see who would be Jonathan's opponent in the semi-finals.

This fight was probably hardest to watch of any she'd seen so far that day because these two guys were both out for blood. And already, both of them had spilled some. Wendy wished Will could see this because it put things in perspective. He'd felt bad just for leaving a cut over Killer's eye, but that was nothing compared to what these two brutes were doing to each other. And unfortunately, it was probably all too indicative of what he'd face with Rocky.

As disturbing as it was to watch the combatants, Wendy found it even more disturbing to see the bloodlust in the spectators. Up to now, the Gladiator Games had seemed very similar to a kickboxing match with just a few of the rules relaxed. But now it was starting to live up to its name and the crowds were not just cheering like they would for a horse they'd bet on, but they were reveling in the gore like it was bread thrown to starving masses. Their hostility was more than she could block and it was wearing her down.

Wendy took a minute to check on Jim while the entire colony was mesmerized with the carnage unfolding at the arena. She'd felt sorry for all the contestants, chained by their ankles to display stalls like they were farm specimens or something. But right now, it was deserted, with not even a guard or a contest official in sight. This far away from the stands, she could hear the crowds screaming and cheering, and it was evident Jim could hear it too, because he looked like he was trying to sleep but the noise was preventing it. He opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Hey, Doc. Have they killed each other yet?"

She shook her head. "But not for lack of trying. You heard that Dr. Westphalen took Tim out of the competition, right?"

"Yeah." His body language suggested… envy?

"Hey, you don't have to do this either. I can throw a towel just as well as Kristin."

He shook his head. "No, you can't. You throw the towel and it disqualifies me _and_ Shan. He's our best shot at winning this."

"I will not let some woman win your freedom, Lieutenant. You have a wife and a son, not to mention a captain who would go ballistic if I failed to safeguard you over some silly sense of pride. There are other ways to get Lucas."

He looked away and muttered darkly, "Yeah, but we tried them already."

"Guess what? For once, it's _my_ call and I am going to protect you whether you like it or not."

He chuckled. "You tell 'em, Mistress."

"Damn straight, _Skippy_."

"That reminds me—how come the new guys get to be 'Tom' and 'Matthew'?"

"Number 2 told Kristin his name was Matthew. He's going back to _seaQuest_ with us for some counseling and support. As for the rest? I just didn't like the degrading names they had, so I gave them something temporary. Therefore Killer became 'Tom', the guy you beat will be 'Dick', and Rocky is going to be 'Harry'. That is, assuming they want to remain under Juno law. If any of them want to be their own masters, they can pick their own doggone names. I'm sick of naming every Tom, Dick, and Harry."

Jim burst out laughing, which had been her goal.

She let him enjoy the levity before she continued. "You sure you're up to this?"

"Positive. And don't get me wrong. I don't wanna be stuck here. I just don't want you to end it unless we're sure we have to."

"Do you want to arrange a signal?"

"Three fast blinks."

"And what if I can't see your face?"

He shrugged. "I'll yell, 'Help me Rhonda'!"

She rolled her eyes. "Just don't call me your Little Surfer Girl."

"No way. That's probably a worse crime than using a vid-link."

"Well, we _know_ the penalty for not throwing the towel before you're declared a loser. There's not a lot worse than that."

He shuddered. "I'd call losing a limb worse."

Wendy cringed. He'd thought he lost a leg once. And he was right. Becoming property could be reversed. That was why they were here. "Sorry. You're right." Just then, the crowds in the arena erupted in a massive roar, followed by cheers and applause. "I'm guessing someone finally won," she said. Actually, what she was thinking was that someone was probably dead or close to it. And what bothered her most was that his fate was in the hands of some woman who likely placed no value on his life, health, or comfort. At least with the four they'd already inherited, she and Kristin had been able to render medical care and assure the poor loser they weren't going to be left alone to die.

"They should be coming for you soon now," she said quietly.

"Good. I was getting bored."

"Hey, are you saying I'm boring?"

"Uh…"

"Don't answer that."

He nodded and shut his mouth, and just in time. One of the Games officials arrived. Wendy also noticed a few more spectators moving about, running to the restrooms and the concessions, mostly.

The official unlocked Jim and then herded him along with one of those electric cattle prods. It bothered Wendy that she used it and it bothered her more that she couldn't come up with some snide way of telling the official off. Shouldn't the owner standing right there be enough? With effort, Wendy held her tongue. They had much bigger fish to fry.

The scoreboard showed that Number 3 had beat Number 6. It had also been updated to show the stats on Skippy and his opponent, Razorback. About the only good thing Wendy could see was that they were closely matched in weight and size. Brody had received extra training which she had probably read in his records at some time or another, but which she'd never bothered to commit to memory. She expected that most military training involved weapons, and that was of no help here. It didn't really matter now. It wasn't like there had been time or opportunity for a crash course. They wouldn't even let Shan talk to him since they'd signed in, and they both belonged to the same mistress.

Jim stood proud while they introduced him (well, his alter ego anyway) and Wendy heard all the guys from their cheering section whoop it up. She glanced behind her to see Butch, Sundance, and Tom joining in with the cheering. They hadn't wasted any time becoming part of Team Splendor. Kristin, Tim, and Matthew sat in the stands since Kristin was no longer allowed down by the ring. Tony had snuck in with Katie, Ben, and the other guys who filled in directly behind where she would stand, in Jim's corner.

Wendy tried to shut down her empathic senses. Normal crowds were bad enough, but these frenzied, bloodthirsty freaks were so much worse. The weight of their hostile emotions was so bad that she had to sit.

Katie came up behind her. "You okay, Wendy?"

She shook her head. "Is it me or are they getting worse?" She gestured vaguely at the audience.

"They're getting worse. That last match was insane. I thought they were going to kill each other."

"This is really draining me. If I don't do something about the flood of negative emotions, I could pass out."

"Why don't you go lie down? I can cover for you."

"I don't think they'd let anyone but the legal mistress throw in the towel, will they?"

Katie cringed. "Yeah, you're probably right. I forgot about that."

"Just watch for me and let me know if I need to throw it. Brody said three quick blinks would be his way of saying he'd had enough. If I sit still and meditate, I can manage the onslaught better."

"Okay. I got your back. Do whatever it is you do."

Wendy leaned back in the chair, closed her eyes, and breathed deeply. She heard Jim and his opponent bring the fight close to the corner and Jim panted out, "Madam Lynx, are you okay?"

Katie yelled out to him, "I'm her eyes. Let me know if you need a time out or _whatever_." She didn't spill their secret strategy out loud. Jim could figure it out.

From the sound of punches, oofs, and grunts, he was too busy to answer, but she didn't detect any panic on his part. Then again, she was directing enormous amounts of psychic energy into trying to block anything she possibly could. Katie patted the top of her shoulder reassuringly.

It was difficult to be in this place with the oppressive emotions pouring in from every side, but now she felt guilty for not watching Jim. Her frazzled emotional state meant doubts crept in to muddle all her confidence, but she remembered that she trusted Katie implicitly before this and used the _memory_ of that trust against faded convictions in the present. She felt someone touch her shoulder and then Tony's voice sounded softly in her ear. "You need anything, Doc?"

"Tony, this is going to sound really weird, but can you just hold my hand and think about quiet and calm?"

He snickered. "Quiet 'n' calm? In this zoo?"

"Especially _because_ it's a zoo."

To his credit, he didn't laugh and he didn't ignore her request. He knelt on the skuzzy floor and took her hand. And he did indeed concentrate on quiet and calm. She could feel it. He had some latent psychic abilities he'd only used a few times, but his concentration strengthened her. "That's great, Tony."

He chuckled. "I ain't doin' nothin'."

"Yes, you are. You're thinking about quiet and calm and that's helping me to push out all the mean and nasty."

"Are you readin' my mind?"

"No. But I'm feeling your good vibes as long as you let me. I know you came to check on me out of concern."

"You weren't watchin' the fight."

"Katie is watching for me. She'll let me know if I need to call time out or throw in the towel."

"I dun think that's gonna be necessary."

"Well, let's hope not."

"No, you don't under—"

Katie interrupted: "It's over. Brody won!"

Wendy's surprise startled her out of the serenity she'd achieved while concentrating on Tony's calm. The crowds had gone wild and she hadn't even noticed. She jumped up and saw Brody headed back to his corner. "Are you all right?"

He looked tired, but he smiled, his eyes sparkling with charm. "I'm great. You may wanna go check on Razorback though."

She ducked under the ropes, patted Brody on the back, and hurried to where Razorback was lying sideways on the mat. His mistress had come out from her corner and knelt over him. She actually looked worried. Wendy spoke gently to her. "I'm a doctor."

She sighed. "I know he's yours now, but please help him."

"I will." She was already pulling out her portable diagnostic equipment, but she could check vitals in her sleep. She ventured a quick question: "How do you feel about losing him?"

"Don't tell _him_, but I bet against him so I'd have some way to buy him back if he lost. I hope you'll sell him back to me."

"But if he'd won, you'd have had to pay."

"If I won, I could sell your Skippy to cover it." She cast a glance toward Brody's corner. "I watched you in his first fight. I think you would have paid to get him back."

"You're right. And if Razorback wants to be with you, I'll _give_ him back to you. But it's got to be _his_ choice."

"G-Give?" Her voice wavered. "Are you kidding me? He's worth thousands."

"Then why risk him? You bet against him so there was no chance you could _make_ any money. And you didn't plan to keep his opponent."

"He wanted to do it to raise my reputation, so the other women would stop making fun of me." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "They say I'm too nice."

Wendy chuckled even as she started recording his vitals. He was already starting to come around, but she didn't think he was coherent enough to be listening in. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, but if you can't be yourself here, maybe it's time to move."

"I wanted to, but he thought this would make it so we didn't have to."

Wendy opened some smelling salts and passed them under her patient's nose. Razorback jerked awake. She pressed lightly on his shoulders. "Just rest a minute."

He focused on Wendy. She saw the realization that he'd lost register on his face. Then he saw his former mistress. He cringed and turned his face away from her. "I'm sorry, Domina Beth."

She patted his hand. "It's okay. If you had to lose, I'm glad you lost to Skippy." She turned to Wendy. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Yes, I think so. Razorback, do you want to be with Beth?"

Tears formed in his eyes. "Yes. But I won't be a jerk about it. You won me fair and square."

"I'm not keeping you as my property. I'm going to free you when we get out of here."

He shook his head, harder than he probably should have in his woozy state. "Please don't take me away from Juno. If I try to come back alone, anyone could claim me."

"Well, I'm leaving. So tell me what I should do with you. I'll give you to any woman you choose."

"Give?" He sat up slowly, his eyes locked on Wendy.

"Yes, give. I don't believe in selling human beings."

His eyes lit up and he smiled for the first time. "Domina Beth. I want to be with her."

"Done." She looked up at Beth, whose eyes weren't dry either. "I think he's okay." Wendy started packing her medical equipment away, but she continued speaking. "I think you should tell him what you told me."

Beth nodded even as she moved in to hug Razorback. "I will. How can we ever thank you?"

"Don't enter any more fights, okay? If you can't talk your way out of problems, then consider moving somewhere else. There's nothing wrong with being nice." And now that she had a little extra money, moving out of Juno wouldn't be so impossible.

They both nodded.

Wendy stood and walked back to her corner. Brody looked up with concern. "He's fine," she assured him, then she looked up at Katie. "But he's not coming with us. His mistress bet against him just so she could buy him back if he lost. And if he won, she was going to sell_ Skippy_ to pay off the bet. I think they're in love."

Katie shook her head in disbelief. "This place is so strange, nothing would surprise me. Okay, so we don't have to add Razorback to our herd then."

Brody forced a fake cough. "Herd?"

Katie rolled her eyes, but she was standing over Brody so he couldn't see it. Katie set her hand down on his shoulder. Her eyes sparked playfully. "Gaggle?"

Tony burst out laughing. "I think she just called you a goose, dude."

Brody shot Shortcake a dirty look. "A gaggle is a group, _dude_. She just called _us_ geese."

"Hey, I'm in the herd. You know, like elephants."

Brody rolled his eyes. He couldn't win an argument with Piccolo, especially when it was a ridiculous one. "At least I'm not a dessert."

Wendy swatted Brody lightly on the back. "I can fix that. I could call you Pumpkin Pie."

The tired lieutenant let some humor enter his face. "I think I liked being cattle better."

"Good, 'cause they're taking you back to the bull pen now," Katie informed him.

He nodded, looking like it was welcome. "Tell Tiger I said to knock 'em dead. Oh, and tell him to do it quietly. I wanna sleep."

Wendy smirked at him. "Oh, yes, we mustn't disturb your beauty rest."

The contest official led Brody back to his stall. Wendy would have followed them, except that someone else was already leading Shan to the ring. She signed over Razorback's papers and handed them to Beth, then she leaned in to Katie. "Can you stay with me? It really helped me not to watch. Besides, Will knows you better."

"You got it, Doc."

Tim's mindvoice snuck in next. _Dr. Westphalen wants me to ask if you want Razorback to sit with us_.

_I already gave him back to his mistress. He's good. _Wendy heard Tim repeating the information out loud to Kristin.

_How are __**you**__ holding up?_ Mary asked.

_Not well. But Katie is watching the fight so I don't have to. You wouldn't believe the hostility in the air here._

_Yes I would. I can feel it through Tim and he's not even a Receiver. Let us help you too._

_Us? _Tim questioned._ I can only Transmit words._

_So say something calming. Recite a poem or something._

_P-Poetry? Uhh... 'Once upon a midnight dreary; while I pondered weak and weary—'_

_NO! _Wendy mind-shouted. Although she had to admit she would be impressed if he could really recite all of "The Raven".

_Not __**that**__ poem! _Mary chided._ Something comforting._

_Something comforting, _he made a sound like clearing his throat, which was curious, since he wasn't using his real voice. But when he spoke again, his mindvoice had definitely changed. It wasn't his official communications voice and it wasn't his nervous, let's-make-smalltalk voice either. Its deep timbre swelled up and reverberated inside her mind:_ The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want…_

Tim kept reciting the comforting passage with this new, unfamiliar voice whose resonance commanded calm. Wendy knew it was a Psalm, and she knew she'd heard it at a funeral before, but Tim related it in a way that didn't strike her as morbid or sad. His mindvoice wrapped her in comfort like a warm blanket. After a sentence or two, she expected he'd be done, but he evidently had quite a lot of this passage memorized. Either that, or he was composing this on the fly. His speech was so natural and flowing that she could almost believe he was just talking to her. Then again, if he was talking to anyone, it was probably Mary. He was purposely letting her listen in, but he wasn't actually talking to her.

Wendy lost track of time. The screaming crowds faded and the press of hostility from the masses withered. Mary radiated positive vibes at the same time, but she was piggybacking on Tim's wavelength, choosing her emotions to magnify his themes without any cross-interference. The effect was like a double whammy of tranquilizer.

_Tim, sweety, you need to stop_, Mary interrupted. _You're going to put Wendy under._

_Oh. Sorry,_ he said sheepishly. His regular voice was back.

_Don't be. That was incredible. But Mary's right. In another few seconds, I would have been asleep_.

_That boring?_

_No, that hypnotic. I bet no one else in this whole colony could sleep in the midst of all this. _She jostled herself in her seat to get her blood circulating._ Have you been watching the fight?_

_A little._

_How is Will doing? _She braced herself for bad news.

_He's still on his feet and he doesn't look too bad._

_Is he hurt?_

_Not that much. He's dodged most of Rocky's swings. He looks tired though. He's been pretty busy._

She wondered how odd it had to be for Tim to watch a grisly fight, while trying to sound calm and soothing in his mind. She was glad Shan wasn't hurt, but it was a little distressing he was tired already. Rocky didn't look like the type who would just run out of steam. Surely Will had to realize he wasn't going to win on endurance alone.

Wendy felt so relaxed that she chanced opening her eyes. Bootlicker, Shortcake, Butch, Sundance, and Tom were all on their feet, cheering. Their focus was over her head, so they didn't really see her. Their excitement bolstered her, and she expanded her perusal. However, Rocky was Juno's pride and joy and this was his first fight. He was the odds-on favorite and it didn't look like his fans were happy with how he was doing. While she knew their woe translated to good news for Team Splendor, the weight of their anger and hostility slammed hard into the psyche Wendy had taken such measures to calm. _Mistake._

_You opened your eyes, didn't you? _Mary scolded her.

_I didn't even look in the ring_, Wendy answered with apologetic tones.

Then Mary spoke over her, obviously to Tim. _And this is why you must never ask me to attend even a tame sporting event, like baseball. People get too riled up and we Receivers cannot handle it. Tim, you watch Wendy and if she opens her eyes again, go put your hands over them_.

Tim was horrified that his fiancée was trying to tell him what to do. Mary didn't know how far away he was from Wendy, in the stands with Kristin, not close to the ring like Tony and the other guys. Nor was she remembering what kind of colony this was and how bad it would look for his cover. Wendy could sense his discomfort because Mary let it through their link, so she had to know what he was feeling. He didn't know how to argue without hurting her feelings or embarrassing her with Wendy listening and that was adding to his distress.

_I'm kidding, sweety. Wendy's a big girl and should know her boundaries well enough to close her eyes when she needs to._

Wendy sighed with relief, more for Tim than for herself_. Okay, 'Mom'. I'm properly chastised now. No more looking. _She was curious about how Shan was doing, but Mary was right. She should know better and protect herself. She had to trust Katie to watch for her and make the right decisions.

Wendy returned to meditation, but she was a little too embarrassed to ask for Tim and Mary's help again. She wasn't in dire straits, just a little agitated. She kept her eyes closed and breathed deeply. Mary sent some calming vibes without being asked. Tim was evidently rather engrossed in the fight, and a little of his associated anxiety seeped through, so Mary cut him out of the link.

Wendy could not have said how long the match lasted, nor could she even tell who won at first, but the uproar that occurred when the match ended was so earth-shattering that she couldn't have missed it had she been in a submarine a mile away. Her eyes flew open, she stood and turned around in one movement, and then struggled to look around Katie, who was jumping up and down so much that it was no easy feat to see around her.

In the center of the ring, Shan was standing. Rocky wasn't.

Wendy surged forward, intending to enter the ring, but Katie held her back. The crowd was going wild and everyone was on their feet, but the referee evidently hadn't officially ended the match. Rocky didn't stir from the floor, so the official raised Shan's arm, declaring him the winner. Mayhem erupted, and Katie lowered her restraining arm. Wendy said, "Thanks," even as she followed Katie into the ring. It certainly would have been awful to have ruined a clean win by barging in before the fight was over.

William Shan was a bloody mess, but he was standing without aid and he was lucid. Wendy checked his eyes with a penlight. "How do you feel?" she whispered.

"Honestly? I feel like crap, Doc. But I don't think anything's broken. Can we get out of here?"

Wendy looked up at Katie.

The lieutenant commander placed her hand on his shoulder. She spoke quietly enough so no one would overhear. "That was the most brilliant move I've ever seen, Ensign. I'd like nothing better than to take you back to the sub right this second, but I'd rather not draw any suspicion until we have Lucas and his papers in hand. You're the forerunner. It would look very strange to just quit."

He nodded. "Understood, Commander. I can crash in the pig stall."

"I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."

"Just get Lucas back."

Wendy turned her attention to Rocky. He wasn't just a little dazed, like Razorback had been. He was completely unconscious. She checked his vitals. He wasn't 'fine' but he wasn't terminal either. "He'll live," she said to Katie.

"That's good, I guess," Katie said, "but I'd really like to know whether he wants to be part of the deal I'm about to make."

Wendy noticed that she was looking in the direction of Rocky's corner. Her eyes had locked on a woman in red leather pants and a black leather and lace corset. From where she was standing, this could only be one person: Gianna.

"You've got Butch, Sundance, and Tom for sure. No matter what Rocky wants, it's already a better deal for her."

Gianna sauntered across the ring with a sexy sway of her hips, confident and cocky. But she didn't head toward Katie. She stopped in front of Wendy. Wendy didn't want to leave her patient. Kristin couldn't come take over for her either, because she was banned from the arena after throwing in the towel. Rocky was stable and breathing and didn't need to be roused just yet. If he wanted to be part of this deal, they could always throw him in as a bonus. But Wendy recognized that her slave had beaten Rocky so she was the one who had to negotiate for Lucas. Wendy drew a deep breath and stood. She smoothed her leopard print catsuit and met the gaze of the brazen hussy standing far too close for comfort. "Gianna Valentino?"

The woman didn't acknowledge. She whipped out papers. Wendy reached for them reflexively, but regretted it. Gianna slapped them into her hand. She didn't have to look to know they were Rocky's ownership documents.

Katie spoke, her voice much harder and better suited for this business than Wendy's was. "We want Lucas _now_."

Gianna glanced at Katie with an air of condescension. "Excuse me? Was I talking to _you_?"

"You'd better talk to me. We beat your Rocky. Now you will sell Lucas at the agreed price."

"Wait just a minute, sweet cheeks," Gianna said in an oily, demeaning tone. "There was no 'we' in our agreement. I told _you_ that if _your_ slave could beat my Rocky, then we had a deal. I made no deal with this cat-bitch."

Wendy held her tongue. She knew Gianna was trying to get a rise out of her and she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. This was Katie's ballgame now.

"Then you have a problem, don't you, _dear_?" Katie said in just as slick a tone. "My Ebony is still in the competition, and Rocky was defeated in his first fight. Besides which, he now belongs to Lynx. It's certainly not my fault _your_ champion was such a flop."

"Yes, I see he wasn't worthy of my faith. But that doesn't change the fact that the deal is off. I'm selling Cupcake at auction."

"Yes, fine. You do that. Here I was with three prime Gladiators, ten thousand gold, and a chance for you to maintain your honor, but how stupid of me to assume you would be interested."

"My honor has nothing to do with anything. You're the one who brought all these outsiders into this. I was trying to keep this between the two of us."

Wendy felt Katie's deep-seated satisfaction . She'd been baiting Gianna to say something like this.

"Like hell you were. You were hiding behind Mr. Universe here." She canted her head toward the unconscious Rocky. "You're a coward, Gianna."

"Do you want to put your money where your mouth is, Katerina?"

"Nope. I offered money and you thought it would be more fun to play games. I want a real fight with no hiding behind pets and playthings. You and me, alone, in that ring."

Gianna crossed her arms over her chest. "And I suppose if I lose, I become your slave?"

Katie scoffed. "Hell no. I wouldn't want your sorry-ass carcass. If I win, I get Lucas, free and clear. No auction. No gold."

"Yes, I know I have something you want. But what do _I_ get if _I_ win?"

"My LS909."

Wendy gasped. That was their only way out of here.

"In trade," Katie amended. "You get my brand new luxury liner and I take your rustbucket sausage with a propeller. Oh yes, and I also have three new slaves to throw in—the ones I and my friends inherited through the Games: Numbers 5, 7, and 8."

"What about Number 2 and 4?" Evidently, Gianna had been paying very close attention to Team Splendor.

"I already sold Number 4," Wendy said. "Back to Domina Beth." She didn't mention that the sale hadn't involved any money. That was irrelevant.

"Number 2 isn't part of the deal," Katie said. "Scarlet is keeping him. That's still a pretty damned good offer. Three Gladiators and a billion-dollar submarine against one nerdy teen and your diesel death-trap. It's almost obscene to even mention that bit about your honor. I doubt you have any to speak of in the first place."

Wendy felt Gianna's temper rise. The dominatrix glared daggers at Katie. "You're on."


	22. Chapter 61 Chick Fight

**Chapter 61**

Katie didn't allow herself a smile. She didn't want Gianna to know how much she wanted this. She immediately sent Ben and Tony out to find the sheriff-judge. She wanted the terms in writing this time and she wanted everything legal and binding. Beating the snot out of Gianna was going to be gratifying, yes, but it meant nothing without winning back Lucas. The contest official who'd come to collect Tiger had heard the whole thing, so they already had a witness. "Did you ladies want to do this today, after the Gladiators finish?"

Katie grinned. "The Gladiators are finished _now_."

"No," the official said patiently. "There are two semi-final matches and then the final."

"Lynx here owns two of the semi-finalists and I own one. We're both throwing in the towel. Declare Number 3 the winner."

The woman's jaw dropped. "You're both forfeiting?"

"Yes," Wendy said. "We only entered to beat Rocky and we've done that. We don't care about the title."

"You realize you won't be able to enter for a year, even with Rocky." She looked down at the unconscious hulk, still lying on the mat. She probably assumed this had been about acquiring him rather than defeating him.

"Fine," Katie said. She didn't ever want to come back to this place ever again. "All we wanted was the right to buy back a pet that was taken from me in Hawaii." She glared at Gianna again. "But expecting this weasel to keep her word was obviously a bad assumption on our part."

Gianna recognized she was being baited and kept her mouth shut. She'd already pulled her little loophole stunt and she was happy with where it got her. The LS909 had to be the pièce de résistance. It was probably the only thing Katie had that interested Gianna more than Lucas. And the sad thing was, Katie would lose _both_ of them if she lost this fight.

"Wait," the official said. "You risked slaves in the Games and now you're going to fight personally, all over _one_ male?"

"Yes. _My_ male." Katie surprised herself with how much true feeling went into the possessive pronoun. Lucas wasn't her property, but he belonged to her and Kristin and his _seaQuest_ friends so much more than he'd ever belong to anyone on this rotten colony. She considered amending her statement to something a little less objectionable to Wendy and the guys, but she could always say she was just acting in character. She skipped the amendment.

"People are not going to be happy with you for this. This is the first Games we've had in nine months."

Juno residents saw these stupid fights like the World Cup or American Super Bowl, but she was not going to have any of her guys risking so much as a hangnail for some stupid olive wreath. However, she was a little wary of upsetting the colonial government or starting a riot. All ten of them could end up in that miserable lithium mine permanently. "But when was the last time you had a public chick fight?"

Gianna smirked. "You mean other than Jackie and Wilma in the nightclub?"

From her tone, Katie inferred this was a regular occurrence, and that didn't help her case. But a light dawned in the official's face. If Gianna had intended to disparage Katie's agenda, it had backfired.

"With no holds barred? Never. Let me talk to the Council."

"I'm in no hurry. Let us know when it's convenient."

"Well, _I'm_ in a hurry," Gianna pouted. "I need to kick this bitch's ass before the auction, so I can enjoy watching her face when Cupcake is sold."

So that was how she wanted to roll. Well, Katie could play that game. She glared at her opponent without blinking and spoke in a cold but even tone. "You're assuming you'll have eyes that aren't swollen shut. _If_ you do, it will be so _you_ can watch _me _take Lucas on_ my _LS909 and leave your sorry butt in the hospital."

"Ladies, ladies," the official said. "I can see this will be quite entertaining. Get your legal papers drawn and we'll let you know when you can use the arena."

"Thank you." Katie gave the woman a polite smile.

"And you can release Tiger," Wendy added. "He doesn't need to be in that display stall anymore."

Shan looked at Wendy like she'd just given him a week-long liberty. The official seemed to have forgotten why she was there and shook herself out of her stupor. "Yes. Yes, of course." She handed Wendy Tiger's leash.

She accepted it. "Will you bring me Skippy or do I have to go get him? He _is_ trustworthy enough to just release him, you know." The last bit was a little too honest, Katie thought, although she echoed the sentiment. Men ran around unsupervised all over Juno all the time. Why should some dim-witted pizza delivery guy be given more freedom than a prize athlete with almost godlike status?

Katie patted Wendy's shoulder. "I'll go get him and Ebony. You stay here with Rocky."

Wendy nodded and curled her finger in beckoning to Shan, who crouched so she could remove the leash from his collar. "Stay with Katerina," she said in the kindest, least-commanding tone she could manage. Simple though her words were, the empathic doctor spoke volumes with her eyes. Wendy wasn't just making sure Shan had a chaperone or providing Katie a bodyguard. She was giving Katie a _sensei_.

Shan nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am," nonchalantly enough, but his eyes also communicated that the bright ensign didn't miss a thing.

Katie could talk smack with Gianna all day long, but it was just posturing. She wasn't in the same physical shape she was in when she was on _seaQuest_. The _H.R. Clinton_ didn't have a real gym and since her inheritance, she'd been a little busy with other distractions to spend much time on anything but a brisk jog several times a week. It wasn't fair to Shan or Ford, especially after putting them both through grueling fights so recently, but they were going to have to coach her in the crash course of the century. Already, she was dreading it, but at least Gianna didn't _look_ all that formidable. She wasn't especially muscular or trim.

Katie followed the Games official back to the stalls, where she unlocked Ford from the shackle while Katie signed forms. Ford congratulated Shan, who smiled and accepted the commander's praise, but he wasted no time explaining what had happened since the win. Katie was thankful, since she couldn't really brief Jonathan with this Games official hanging around. They went directly to Brody's stall and released him. Katie sent him to Dr. Westphalen because he had a nasty black eye that had swollen shut and she didn't like the looks of it. Then the official left to go meet with her Council.

"I'm going back to the arena," she whispered to Shan and Ford. "I told Ben and Tony to bring the sheriff there if they found her. As soon as I sign the deal, I am putting myself in your hands to get me ready for this… _thing_. Start plotting your revenge now."

"Revenge?" Jonathan asked.

"Yep. Here's your chance to get back at me for every stupid thing you've had to do, say, and…" she scanned their costumes from head to toe, "wear since we got here."

"Katie, none of this is your fault. We _volunteered_, remember?"

"Don't go into this thinking you owe _us_ anything, Commander," Shan said. "You've got to focus on your opponent."

"Maybe someone ought to start thinking about Plan C for if I fail." She looked pointedly at Jonathan.

He pressed his lips together and shook his head: once right, once left. "Failure is not an option. You wouldn't have let _me_ say that a couple of hours ago when our places were reversed."

"Oh come on. I was ready to throw in the towel for you. I didn't put any pressure on you to win."

"And no one is putting pressure on _you_ but yourself. This is _not_ Lucas's last chance."

"Just his best one," she cut in with a note of grumpiness.

He inclined his head to concede her point. "Well, I would _hope_ you're not doing this just for fun."

"Fun? Are you kidding? We're going to beat each other up in front of an audience!"

"No," Shan said. "_You_ are going to beat _her_ up. Stop thinking negatively."

She gestured at his cuts, bruises, and probably-broken nose. "Look who's talking." He'd done brilliantly, and she'd already told him so. But that didn't mean he didn't take some hits too.

"Yeah? So? He was a big guy and he'd done this before. But Gianna is nothing. You can take her."

"How do you know?"

Jonathan answered for him. "Come on. How many hours did we spend in the gym together? I've seen you punch the bag and I know you've got the strength and endurance."

"Not with moving targets, and…" she lowered her whispers even softer "not since I left _seaQuest_."

Shan grinned at her. "It's like riding a bicycle. You don't forget."

"I'm glad I have you guys here to remind me." They walked back to the arena without talking. Rocky was now sitting up in a chair just outside the ring, but Wendy was still at his side. Shan approached and Rocky flinched like he thought Shan was going to hit him or something.

"Hey, it's all over," Shan said. "I just wanted to be sure you're okay."

Rocky searched Wendy's face, but whether for confirmation that Shan wasn't lying or just seeking permission to speak, Katie couldn't tell. Wendy gave him a nod. He looked back at Shan with something like fear or respect. "Madam Lynx says you could have killed me if you wanted. Is that true?"

Shan nodded. "I know how, yes."

"But she doesn't want to keep me or sell me. So why didn't you just end it? I mean, wasn't I hurting you?"

"Oh yeah, you hurt me. But I don't kill for fun. I don't even like to fight. I just had to." He looked like he was struggling for the right words to explain.

Rocky nodded thoughtfully. "I met Cupcake this morning. He wanted me to lose, but he was real nice about it."

"He's not here by choice. We just want to buy him back so we can get out of here."

"Can I help?"

"I'm sure Lady Katerina would welcome your help, but we're coaching her to fight Gianna. You know that, right?"

"I was unconscious when she turned over my papers, but I'd be willing to bet she didn't cry over it. She'd be mad because she lost money, but she doesn't care about me personally."

Wendy took his pulse while she asked, "But did _you_ care about _her_?"

He shrugged. "She fed me well and she gave me a place to live. That's more than I'd get from a manager topside."

"No," Shan said. "Because a manager would let you _keep_ all your winnings and then you could do that for _yourself_." He didn't hide the fact that he found the ownership arrangement distasteful and Jonathan cleared his throat in silent warning.

Rocky looked back at Wendy. "She wouldn't _let_ me care about her. She was all about business." He directed his gaze at Katie. "I don't see nothing wrong in helping you fight her. Madam Lynx is my mistress now. I'm loyal to _her_."

Katie eyed Wendy. "Did you ask him yet?"

She nodded. "He wants to stay in Juno, but he's not really keen on going back to Gianna. He suggested we keep him as an ace in the hole. I think that's a pretty smart idea."

Yes, it _was_ a good idea. Why sweeten the pot now? Three Gladiators and the second best submarine on the planet were already enough to entice that little thieving minx. If Katie lost, at least they'd still have something left to negotiate with. Whoever won Lucas at auction might be inclined to take Rocky if money didn't work. Katie laid her hand on Rocky's shoulder. "Plan C. I like it. And I'd welcome your help if you're willing and Lynx clears you medically, of course."

"He's good to go, but he should take it easy. Have Tiger and Ebony do all the demonstrating."

"Got it, Doc. Thanks."

Ben and Tony arrived next with the sheriff. She kept looking around nervously because the crowds were starting to get restless and grumbling. The semi-finals were supposed to be next, and no one had explained to the masses why the betting windows had closed and none of the combatants had been brought to the ring.

Katie explained the situation to the sheriff as quickly and concisely as she could. It helped that they'd already leveled with her after Ben's caning. She appreciated how hard they had been trying to respect Juno's laws, and she believed Katie's story about Gianna. She scowled over Gianna's lack of honor, but she shook her head. "With nothing in writing, there's not much I can do."

"I figured as much. We've already made a new agreement, but I want everything in writing this time and I want witnesses." She started naming off the terms, list-style: "Gianna and I, in the ring, with all the same Gladiator rules, winner to be decided by the same judges. If I win, she hands over Lucas Wolenczak, also known as Cupcake, free and clear. If she wins, we will trade submarines and I will give her the three Gladiators my friends and I inherited from the Games. They were seeded 5, 7, and 8, presently going by the names Butch, Sundance, and Tom."

The sheriff took notes with a stylus on a tablet computer. "Okay, let me get it all typed up and legal. I'll get the Governor and the Games Commissioner to witness along with me. I'll need ownership documents for the slaves and the submarine. Gianna will have to turn hers in too. There'll be no way she can weasel her way out of this once she signs."

"No problem. I'll get them now."

"Lady Katerina," Bootlicker said in a soft voice, "why don't Shortcake and I run back to _Splendor_ for those? You've got more important things to be doing." He canted his head at Shan and Ford.

"Good idea," she said. Ben and Tony rushed off. As it turned out, the Games Commissioner was on her way, brought by the contest judge who had released Ford and Brody. In another five minutes everything was settled. The commissioner made an announcement on the loudspeaker, giving the spectators the good news about the chick fight first, then the bad news about the Gladiator Games being over by default. All bets on the finals and semi-finals were canceled and they would be refunding money so that new bets could be laid on the new combatants. Lady Katerina and Mistress Gianna were called into the ring so everyone could get a good look at them. The match was scheduled for two hours away. That gave everyone time to eat dinner and do their betting. It was probably about the same time as the Final would have been.

_Two hours,_ Katie thought. _How in the world can I train for a fight this important in two hours?_

"It's going to be fine," Jonathan said, as if reading her mind. "She's no more ready than you are and she has no one to help her. You, on the other hand have the Master Tiger, Rocky Balboa and me." He shrugged. "Two outta three ain't bad."

She smiled and hit him lightly in the shoulder. They found a room in the arena complex where they could train. When Ben returned from _Splendor_, he sent Tony to the sheriff with the papers while he delivered a pair of baggy running shorts and a t-shirt to Katie. Appreciation swelled and she thanked Ben profusely, which seemed to amuse Rocky quite a bit. She didn't care. Vinyl didn't breathe at all, and she didn't want to figure out something new to wear to the actual match if she wrecked the costume while training. Wrecking it _during_ the match would probably be okay though. That added entertainment value. Demeaning as that sounded, she didn't mind helping out the Games organizers a little. They could have been furious after she'd declared three out of four finalists were forfeiting their matches, but they'd actually been fairly reasonable.

The rules said no shoes were allowed, so she wouldn't have to worry about the awkward stilettos. She kicked those monsters off her feet with a mock-evil laugh. She looked up at her three coaches. "Okay, guys. I have less than two hours. Go easy on me for about fifteen minutes while I warm up, then let's have everything you've got."

"Lady Katerina, save some energy for the match," Rocky said. "Do not waste it on those who wish to help." Shan and Ford nodded agreement.

"Good point," she said. "Show me your best moves, but let's not overdo it."

Katie tried to put Lucas out of her mind and concentrate on fighting. Jonathan showed her his best offensive moves while Shan concentrated on defense. Rocky added a few little moves here and there, but his most valuable contribution was insight on Gianna. Katie knew she couldn't just write her off as Evil Incarnate. She was driven by greed and she saw men as objects, but there was always more beneath the surface.

Rocky said she had a few women friends with whom she was close. "I can't prove this, but I think some guy broke her heart once, like jilted her at the altar or something big."

"She told you that?"

"No. She hardly talked to me at all. I wasn't like a normal house slave. I only got to help when she had guests. But you'd be surprised what you can overhear when you're standing around with a bowl of grapes."

Even Jonathan chuckled at this.

Rocky gave her little glimpses into Gianna's psyche: she liked coconut cream pie; she used flannel sheets (and he knew this because he _washed_ them, not because he ever got _between_ them); she couldn't stand country music. "Are you sure you care about this stuff, Lady Katerina?" he asked. It had to seem trivial to him.

"Yes, I care," Katie reassured him between punches and panting breaths. "It reminds me that she's a _person_. She's broken the rules of the society I live in and I want her to pay, but as far as I know, she hasn't killed anyone. I cannot let hate take over or I'm no better than she is."

It didn't seem like it had been two hours when Ben and Tony came to get them. Katie changed back into her costume and they hurried to the arena. The Games officials relaxed the rules about letting Wendy and Kristin near the ring because if they got too technical, Katie wouldn't have been allowed inside it either. They'd all three forfeited for their pets, but since this wasn't a real Gladiator match, they decided it didn't matter. She would rather have had Jonathan or Will in her corner, but allowing a male that kind of leadership role was just too much to ask.

Kristin came up to her first. "Lucas is sitting right over there," she whispered. Katie followed her pointed finger to see that he had been put in the same booth as the sheriff and the contest judges. He gave her a big grin and thumb's up. "The odds were running in favor of your opponent, so I took the liberty of making a bet or two. When you win, you should have enough to pay all the expenses of this trip, minus the _Splendor_, of course."

_**When**__ I win? _She ignored that part to question the amount. "How do you have any idea how much this trip cost?" Katie didn't even know herself. It was a _lot_, but she didn't care about the money.

Kristin's voice was soft and honey-sweet when she answered, "Ben is good for more than licking boots and foot massages. And no, this was_ not_ his idea. He didn't even want to tell me, but I had him at a disadvantage when I was checking his backside."

Katie wasn't sure she wanted to know what that meant, so she didn't respond.

"I told him if he didn't tell me, I wasn't going to give him back his pants." Her voice was all innocence, but it sounded exactly like something Dr. Westphalen would do.

Poor Ben. The good doctor had taken advantage of him again. And now that she thought about it, he would probably have a very good idea what they had spent, not because he begrudged a single dollar, but just because he had such a keen financial mind. The man kept running tabs on everything in his memory. He probably even remembered how much the pizza bill was. Katie grinned. "You're heartless, you know that?"

"Of course. Now, not to put any pressure on you, but you realize if you don't win, Wendy and I have to challenge her next, to uphold the _seaQuest _honor."

"No way. I forbid it." They were civilians and healers. She'd brought them along and they'd been extremely helpful, but this was like asking for disaster.

Kristin grinned in that cat-who-ate-the-mouse way of hers. "We're not in the Navy and we're not your pets. Besides, how hard could it be once you've worn her down?" Katie couldn't tell if she was speaking for Wendy or not, but she knew Dr. Westphalen well enough to know that this was no idle threat. She'd already chopped off her hair and been forced to administer a caning. If Katie didn't finish this, there was no doubt Kristin would.

"Then let's make sure I finish the job, okay? Keep me patched up enough to keep going, no matter what."

Kristin nodded, but Katie could see the lie in her eyes. She would give her expert medical care, but she most definitely would not sacrifice her health or body parts for this match, even for Lucas. Much as Katie liked to be in control and call the shots, it warmed her heart to know that her doctor was incorruptible.

Wendy waited until Kristin was done, then started whispering in her other ear. "By the way, you should know that Tim found a way to sit on Gianna's side of the ring. The Admitting Overseer from the lithium mine is playing escort for him, but he borrowed Brody's hood thing so Gianna wouldn't recognize him."

"Lady Rita?"

"Yes. Gianna seems to be friends with her. They're pretty close to her corner, which means if he hears anything, I can pass it along to you."

"Whoa. This feels like Watergate or something."

"Not at all. We're not doing anything unethical or immoral. No electronic sensors and no mind-reading. The most dishonest thing he's doing is pretending to root for Gianna."

"And wearing a mask."

"This is still a covert operation, isn't it?"

Katie didn't know what to call this anymore. The sheriff-judge knew almost everything, and the governor and Games Commissioner had enough information that they could have pieced it together by now. But they hadn't done anything to violate Juno law. They'd used their real names and passports when they docked and admitted from the beginning that their aliases were for show. They'd even gone so far as to accept Ben's punishment rather than try and fight it diplomatically. The closest they'd come to offending them was using the towel-throwing loophole to minimize their risk in the Games, but that was in the written rules and the head of law enforcement had given them the rule book. The only one who'd quit in the middle of a fight was Tim, and that shouldn't even count, since he'd been fighting Jonathan.

"Covert, overt. Hell if I know. Always a good idea to have an ear out though."

"That was his thinking too."

While Shan and Ford weren't in the actual coaching positions, Wendy and Kristin had them right at their backs, close enough to be able to pass on whispers. The situation wasn't ideal, but then again, nothing had been since the moment they found out where Lucas had been taken.

Gianna had changed out of leather and into spandex. Little wuss probably didn't want blood on her expensive clothes. Katie got more hoots and whistles when she was introduced, which may have been due to her wardrobe or any one of a thousand other factors. Maybe Gianna wasn't as popular as the oddsmakers thought or maybe crowds just loved the underdog. The two women glared for a while, but after ten seconds, Katie decided it was absurd. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she broke eye contact. Staring didn't count for squat and she wasn't going to pretend it did.

The gong sounded. Gianna charged, screaming like a banshee. Katie wasn't intimidated. Everything happened very fast after that: legs flying, punches landing in a blur. Gianna must have had some kind of fighting experience, but it didn't feel formal and controlled like the moves Shan and Ford had demonstrated. She must have been in street fights or bar fights or something of that nature. One thing for sure, Gianna was serious. Dead serious.

But so was Katie. Besides her absolute commitment to rescuing Lucas, she had grown quite attached to _Splendor of the Sea_ and didn't really want to part with her. If she lost, Jonathan was right, there'd be other chances to get Lucas, but her beautiful submarine would be gone for good, and worse: put into service as a slave ship. That was like enabling Gianna to spread more misery. She wanted to kick herself for ever offering the sub, but Gianna was kicking her quite enough already.

Katie couldn't remember how long they'd been at it. It seemed like hours but it felt like some kind of time warp. Gianna's moves were at full speed or possibly fast-forward, while her own moves were in slow motion. Body parts hurt and it was damned difficult to hide pain from two doctors who were watching in front-row seats, not to mention hiding it from the inflictor. Yet, so far, Kristin was keeping her promise and allowing Katie to keep fighting even though she knew she couldn't look that great.

Although her judgment was most likely impaired, it seemed to Katie that Gianna was tiring. The commander landed more hits than misses and she seemed to be able to block a greater proportion of incoming punches as time went on. She wasn't assuming this meant anything. One well-placed kick or punch could end everything in a second. O'Neill and Shan had both beaten guys much larger and much more experienced in these fights. Even if she was indeed 'winning', it wasn't over.

Katie landed a nice face shot that made Gianna's lip bleed, so her corner called time-out. Katie sat on her stool and drank the electrolyte replacement liquid they pushed into her hands. Kristin asked a lot of questions about her injuries. That woman hadn't blinked for even a second. She knew exactly what hurt and what could be ignored. She applied an icy blue gelpack to Katie's brow. Wendy, however, didn't say a thing. Katie understood that Kristin had taken the lead in medical matters on _seaQuest_ and there was no reason to try to compete here. Still, Wendy seemed very distant and aloof and it bothered Katie that her head wasn't 'in the game'.

"Doc?"

Wendy shot her a very serious look and held up one finger. With her hand on Katie's temple, she directed the battered fighter to look straight forward while she whispered in her ear. "Gianna is putting some kind of drug on her hands. She's cheating."

Katie's heart pounded and she felt the blood leave her face. "What is it? What do I do?" She couldn't accuse without proof and she couldn't very well say she had mind-readers spying on her opponent.

"It can't be skin-absorbed; it's on her palms. But Tim says she's avoiding the cuts on her knuckles. Don't let her touch anywhere you're bleeding, or anywhere you might inhale it or ingest it."

Katie scoffed. "What, you think I was _letting_ her punch me all those times?" _Don't let her touch you_, Katie mocked in her mind. _Yeah right, Doc_. The gong sounded. They had no more time to strategize.

"Do you want to throw in the towel?"

_And let a cheating bitch win by default? _"Hell no. I'll think of something. Tell Tim I said thanks."

Wendy nodded even as Katie stood and walked cautiously back toward her opponent. This was no longer a fair fight. The rules said no weapons and Gianna had some kind of knockout drops or poison or god-knew-what in her arsenal. And what was worse, it was invisible. At least if she had a knife hidden, Katie could expose it.

"I know what you're doing, Gianna," she said with a steely acid voice.

The slaver just smirked. "Winning your lovely submarine and keeping your sweet little pet. I've decided _not_ to auction him off, you know. He's going to be my own _personal_ slave."

Both her inflection and the look on her face implied that 'personal' meant she intended to abuse him in ways Katie couldn't bring herself to think about. The word sickened her to distraction and she wasn't ready for the kick Gianna threw. Her ribs cracked and she staggered off-balance. Lost in a sea of pain, both emotional and physical, her upper body wavered, but her feet planted solidly and she snapped out of her shock enough to force her attention to the hands headed straight for her face.

Katie abandoned all other goals in order to grab Gianna's wrists. Once her fingers made it around those skinny wrists, Katie locked on in a death-grip. The slaver stared at her strangely, as if this thwarting move caught her utterly by surprise. Katie gave her a feral grin. "I told you. I _know_."

Gianna pushed hard to try to overcome Katie's grip, but Katie was ready this time. She hooked a foot around Gianna's leg and pulled it out from under her so that both of them went careening sideways toward the mat. Although Gianna tried to break loose during the fall, Katie held fast to her wrists. The commander landed on her injured side and pain almost made her black out, but blinded though she was, she somehow kept hold of the lethal hands and then pinned them down, using her weight to gain leverage. Gianna spat in her face and tried to head-butt her, but Katie saw the desperate move in time and moved out of range. Gianna kicked and screamed, unable to throw her opponent off.

The referee crouched down and saw the stalemate. "This isn't Greco-Roman wrestling, ladies. A 'pin' doesn't count. She has to be unable to get up on her own strength without being held."

"She's cheating!" Katie grunted. "There's some kind of drug on her hands."

"That's preposterous," Gianna whined with an indignant tone she must have rehearsed. "It would affect me long before I could get it on you."

"Not if it needs to be swallowed or inhaled. Care to test my theory, Gianna?" Katie pressed her hand toward her face, shaking with the effort. "Go ahead, touch your bloody lip and I'll apologize. I'll even give you a free punch."

The referee came closer to examine Gianna's hands, which were growing cold because Katie's grip no doubt deprived her of circulation. "Hey, what's that smell?" the referee said.

Whether Gianna was making a last-ditch effort to break free so that she could attack Katie or whether she realized the contest official was close to catching her cheating, Katie wasn't sure, but Gianna threw a mighty burst of energy into one arm, and lifted it, carrying Katie's still-locked grip right along with her, so that her hand landed square in the referee's face, just under her nose.

In seconds, the referee passed out right next to them. The crowds gasped. In the shock and confusion, Gianna renewed her quest to break free, but Katie forced the raised wrist down hard. A crack sounded inside her grip and Gianna cried out. The Games Commissioner and the sheriff-judge burst through the ropes. Doctors Westphalen and Smith surged out from Katie's corner.

"What is the drug?" Dr. Westphalen demanded.

Katie couldn't tell who she was addressing because she was concentrating on one thing only: keeping Gianna's wrists pinned to the floor. Katie was looking at everyone upside down, but it looked like someone from Gianna's corner came up to Kristin and whispered in her ear. Kristin barked out unintelligible medic-speak to Wendy, who was kneeling at the referee's side. Wendy didn't acknowledge, but she had a hypospray instantly in hand and applied it to the downed woman.

Gianna was whimpering, all her fight gone, defeat written on her face and compounding what had to be the considerable pain of a broken wrist. The sheriff crouched where Katie could see her. She held a pair of handcuffs. "You can let go now. I've got this."

"Uh, maybe we should get someone to wash her hands first. I don't want you to end up like the referee."

"Good thinking." The sheriff took a towel from Katie's side of the ring and started wiping Gianna's hands. Gianna screamed, as if anyone cared about her pain after what she'd pulled. She wiped thoroughly, but the drug was invisible, so they couldn't be sure it was really gone. From the alarming speed at which the referee went down, whatever it was had to be potent. The sheriff didn't reject Katie's aid, since Katie already had a good hold on her. With both of them to keep track of her possibly-lethal hands, they got her rolled over and the handcuffs locked behind her back. The sheriff left Gianna whimpering in a prone position on the floor.

Katie stood with great effort and a little groaning of her own. All eyes were focused on Wendy and Kristin, working frantically on the referee. From the grave tone of the doctor's voices, it didn't sound good.

But one person out of the crowd was looking not at the referee and doctors, but at _her_. Lucas had been sitting with the sheriff and the commissioner, so when they came up to the ring, so did he. He had stayed out of the way of doctors treating an emergency and law enforcement arresting a criminal, but now there was nothing to stop him but the worry etched on his face from looking at her.

She knew she was a mess, but she couldn't help but smile when she saw him. "Come here, you," she said softly.

Lucas ran into her arms and hugged gently, his voice trembling with emotion, "Are you okay?"

She hugged him hard, partly because she just couldn't help it, and also to let him know it was safe. "I am now."

"How did you know?"

She chuckled, but it hurt her ribs and made her cringe. "Spies and telepaths."

They hugged there for a long, wonderful moment, surrounded by hundreds of people, none of whom were paying them any attention. After a few seconds, Ben, Tony, Jonathan, and Will came up to greet Lucas. But when he pulled away from Katie, she held his shoulder. "Wait a second." She leaned in and unbuckled the leather collar and removed it from around his neck.

She thought she saw wetness in his deep blue eyes, but it could have been the bright ring lights playing tricks with optics. "Thanks, Mistress Katie," he said with a warm and genuine tone.

She smiled back. "You call me that and I may have to call you Cupcake."

He scrunched up his face, but she could tell he didn't really care at that moment. The rest of the guys surrounded him, laughing at Katie's joke even as they pulled Lucas into their welcoming circle of friends. Brody and Tim were making their way into the little reunion area where everyone was patting Lucas on the back and hugging him. Ben greeted him briefly, but came straight to Katie's side.

"You, my dear mistress, need to lie down."

"Not until they give me back my papers." She'd fought too hard to let them get 'mysteriously misplaced' or 'forgotten' or anything else right now. Yet, she wasn't so heartless as to ask after documents when a woman's life hung in the balance. When the docs got the patient stabilized, she could discreetly inquire about her paperwork.

Ben seemed to understand. He put his arm around her and led her, gently, to a chair. "Remind me to never get on your bad side. You fight like a maniac."

"Did it look good?"

"Hell yes. She wouldn't have resorted to cheating if she thought she could have won honestly, would she?"

"Captain Bridger is gonna be pissed when I bring back all his crew looking like they've all had the crap beat out of them."

Ben shrugged, but his eyes sparkled playfully. "Oh, I don't know. Kristin still looks great. And we don't have to tell him about my butt."

That made her chuckle, which in turn hurt her ribs. Her jaw wasn't feeling so great either. "Where's that blue ice gel thingy?"

Ben took off to her corner, found the coldpack, and brought it back to her. Every single flipping part of her body hurt right now and she wanted to wrap everything in ice until she was numb.

Lots of people were murmuring, but Dr. Smith spoke clearly and loudly enough that anyone near the ring could hear. "Dr. Westphalen?"

"I concur." She looked down at her wristwatch. "Time of death: 20:27." Kristin looked up at the crowds. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could."

The sheriff yanked Gianna up off the mat. Her lip had started bleeding again, and blood had smeared all over her face. The onlookers pointed, murmured amongst themselves, and some even booed. The sheriff spoke with an official air: "Gianna Valentino, you're under arrest for the murder of the Gladiator Games Referee, Mistress Teresa Chase. You have the right to keep your filthy mouth shut and I suggest you exercise it because I'm not in the mood to hear your whimpers." The crowds cheered the sheriff as she shoved Gianna roughly along and out of their presence.

Ben leaned in and whispered, "Doesn't look like she's going to be kidnapping any more innocent kids."


	23. Chapter 62 Loose Ends

**Chapter 62**

Lucas was so happy, he could hardly contain himself. Gianna not only lost the fight, but she'd been arrested. His friends looked odd in their costumes, but since his outfit was pretty embarrassing itself, he wasn't about to say anything. They had come for him. Not just one or two, but nine people. And of those nine, six were wounded. Commander Ford, Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock, Lieutenant Brody, Lieutenant O'Neill, and Ensign Shan had all been in horrible fights, some of them, two. He hadn't seen Ben's caning the day before, but word had reached him in the mines through Tim. Ben's wounds were well-hidden; you couldn't tell from looking at him that he'd been beaten, but he was avoiding sitting down and he walked kinda funny.

Tony and the two lady doctors were the only ones who weren't hurt. Lucas gasped when they announced that the referee didn't make it. He never doubted Gianna was capable of killing someone, but he didn't think she was stupid enough to try it in front of an audience. It could so easily have been Katie. Would he have wanted freedom at the cost of her life? It was too awful to even think about.

He didn't rush through the reunions. Every single one of these people had paid a ridiculously high price (in embarrassment if nothing else) to get him out of Gianna's clutches and he was grateful to every one of them. However, he was rather anxious to embrace Dr. Westphalen. He didn't bother her while she was treating the referee, or even after she and Dr. Smith pronounced her dead. But now that she was just writing notes while Dr. Smith put away equipment, he was getting a bit impatient. He was still standing with all the guys, talking about Katie's awesome moves and just joking around, but he cast one too many looks at the doctors.

"Oh, Domina Scarlet," Tony called. The voice was his, but he'd put some kind of inflection in it that Lucas didn't recognize. It wasn't his military voice or his pickup-chicks voice, but it wasn't how he'd always talked to Dr. Smith either. Maybe he had a new voice for the captain's wife?

Dr. Westphalen looked up.

"Someone's been waiting for you," he said in a sing-song voice.

She looked so different with the short hair and the red leather skirt and high-heeled boots, but Lucas had already seen her in the mines and gotten over the shock of that. Right now, she just looked very tired and frustrated. She really, really hated losing a patient. She was at first annoyed a little with Tony for breaking her concentration, but when she saw Lucas, her whole face lit up. She dropped what she had in her hands and without a word to Dr. Smith, she left the patient and ran toward him. Lucas didn't make her run by herself; he helped close the distance and met her in an embrace. It was warm and tight and she swung his shoulders as she hugged. She even groaned that fake groan that is supposed to suggest a strain with squeezing so hard. Lucas knew it was his responsibility to determine the duration, but he didn't want this moment to end. He was feeling misty again and if he had to cry, he wanted to hide his face in her shoulder to do it.

"Are you all right?" she asked. Her voice wavered like she was on the brink of crying herself.

"I'm fine now."

She let go of his back and held his shoulders, pushing him away just enough so she could see his eyes. Hers were brown and teary in an overwhelmed happy kind of way. "Really?" she asked again, this time studying him intently.

Okay, so he needed to bump up his psych sessions with Dr. Smith. That should go without saying. And he needed to get out of these ridiculous clothes and off of this horrible colony. But he didn't sustain any injuries that needed medical attention and he was so happy to be surrounded by such great friends that the clothes and the location faded to trivial. He smiled at her. "Really."

She released his shoulders, but let him decide what to do next. And he wasn't done hugging. It was just a short little burst of a hug left in him, but he felt like ending on that doubtful note wouldn't have been right. No, what was called for now, was a good joke. He broke contact and backed away just a little. "Please don't tell me I have to go back to _seaQuest_ in these clothes."

She scrunched up her brow. "I think Dr. Smith brought a hospital gown. Lynx?" she called, but not loudly enough to have really got her attention.

Lucas knew she was joking. He played along, adding extra eagerness for emphasis: "Anything is better than this."

She laughed, as did several of the guys who'd heard the exchange. No one gave him a hard time for being too sentimental or acting like a child. Funny, but now that he was an adult, he felt like he had the freedom to do what he'd always yearned to do when he was sixteen and seventeen. How did Wendy put it? 'Expressing love and friendship isn't juvenile.'

Dr. Westphalen saw where Katie had seated herself. Lucas loved her to death for what she'd done, but man, she looked like something the cat drug in. Ben was hovering over her protectively, but trying to look like he was just coincidentally standing there. "Bootlicker, how _is_ she?" Dr. Westphalen asked Ben. Her tone was serious, just like it had been with Lucas.

"Couple broken ribs. Maybe her jaw too."

"I just want to go back to _Splendor_ and lie down," she moaned.

"That sounds like a good idea. Why don't you?" Dr. Westphalen said. Lucas could tell she wanted to examine her thoroughly and that was the best place to do it.

"I want my papers first."

The woman who had opened the Gladiator Games was standing close enough that she heard them. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I got sidetracked here." She reached into her briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers and handed them to Katie. "Your submarine, her submarine, and four slaves, including Cupcake."

"_Lucas_," Katie insisted through clenched teeth. "But I wasn't supposed to get her submarine if I won. It was only a trade if I lost."

The governor answered, "All her property is forfeited now. Everything is going to be sold to the highest bidder to pay for her incarceration expenses."

"Well, sell her sub too then."

"Wait," Lucas said. The women stared at him. Damn, he'd forgotten where he was. He had to pretend to be Katie's property until they got out of here. He adopted a meek tone and looked down. "Mistress Katie—uh Katerina? May I have a word with you?"

She nodded and Lucas ran to her side and whispered in her ear. Katie nodded and then looked at the colony officials. "Lucas tells me there's a slave Gianna keeps on her sub named Shit Boy. I want him. I'll give you the sub as payment and make up the difference if necessary." She handed back the submarine's pink slip. "If her sub is worth more than he is, then take whatever is left over and give it to the referee's family."

From the look on the governor's face, the sub was worth a lot more than Skinny Guy. Her jaw dropped in an awed look. "He's yours, Lady Katerina. Let me have someone go find the slave and his papers and send them back to your berth."

"That would be very kind of you. Docking Bay Roma, Collar 3. May I request that some of my guys go too?"

"Anything you want. You know, you're a huge hero here now. Have you decided where you'd like to live?"

Lucas could see Katie trying to hide her disgust for Juno when she answered. "I don't think I want to live here."

The Games Commissioner looked crestfallen. "You know, you could probably run for governor and win right now."

The governor frowned and shot a nasty look at the commissioner.

Katie said, "Thanks, but I couldn't govern in a place that encourages kidnapping unwilling men to enslave them."

The Games lady said, "I think if you gave a speech to that effect, there'd be a good chance the law would change." Maybe it was Lucas's imagination, but she looked hopeful, even pleading, like she really wanted Katie to give a speech.

The governor was absolutely horrified. "Oh come on. This is not the time for political speeches. Someone just _died_ here."

Katie stared at the commissioner a long moment, then said, "I can say anything I want? Give me a mic."

Everything around them was chaos, but this was probably the best chance to talk to the most people at once. Someone found the mic they used to announce the fighters and handed it to her. She tapped it once to make sure it was on.

"Citizens of Juno," Katie said as she stood very slowly and carefully. Her voice was soft but serious. "You know me as Lady Katerina, but outside of Juno I am Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock of the UEO Navy Reserve." She paused while people gasped. "I came here because Gianna Valentino kidnapped someone very dear to me. She brought him here against his will and intended to make a profit off what would have been a lifetime of misery. My good friend, Lady Helga, told me that Juno started as a consensual society. I know I am not a citizen here, but my friends and I have tried to respect all your laws and customs while we have been your guests. If winning this fight has meant anything to any of you, may I plead with you to rescind the law that allows this type of slavery. Find a way to protect men who do not wish to be here. I can respect you all for who you are and how you want to live if you can show the same respect for others. Thank you." She set the microphone down.

Then clapping started. No, it was more than clapping; it was thunderous applause. And a lot of people stood up and cheered. Lucas could hardly believe that so many people in this crazy, mixed-up place were applauding someone who just criticized their law.

The commissioner nodded at Katie. "Thank you. You have a place in our Hall of Fame. I hope you'll at least consider visiting." The governor scowled, but kept her mouth shut. She had to realize that Katie was wildly popular and she best not appear to be anything but her friend.

"Oh! Speaking of hall of fame," Dr. Westphalen exclaimed, "I've got to go collect on my bets!" She headed off toward the betting windows, snagging Tony to go with her.

"Ms. Diana?" a familiar voice said. Lucas turned to find Lady Rita speaking. "I could go search Gianna's sub if you want."

The governor looked relieved and waved dismissively. "Thank you, Rita."

"Come on, Lucas," she said. She'd been using his real name in secret so long that it took a second for Lucas to realize how odd it was for her to use it now. "Do you know where she docked?"

He grinned. "I know where it was when I got off."

They set off toward Docking Bay Silicia. Will and Commander Ford both tagged along, probably because there would have been a riot if Lucas had dared suggest it wasn't necessary. Gianna's submarine hatch opened easily, but Lucas had the feeling it was locked from the outside.

"Hey, Dude," Lucas called as they went through the collar. He refused to call him Shit Boy, but 'Skinny Guy' wasn't a lot better. "It's Lucas. Come on out."

They all smelled him before they saw him, but he looked just as awful as he always had. He bowed to Rita. "I'm sorry, my lady, for my stench. What can I do for you?"

"Do you know where your ownership documents are? Gianna doesn't own you anymore. Lady Katerina, Lucas's friend, does."

"She's cool," Lucas said to him. "Didn't I tell you I'd come back for you? You're getting out of here."

"Probably in her desk," Skinny Guy said to Rita.

Rita nodded and headed down a passageway.

Commander Ford tried to hide his grimace. "Lucas, is there a shower onboard? Hitchcock will kill us if we bring him on _Splendor_ like that."

Skinny Guy's eyes grew wide. From the bruises and cuts all over Ford and Shan, he probably assumed Hitchcock abused her males pretty badly.

Ford saw the look on his face. "Oh, not literally," he said with chagrin. "She won't hurt you. She's going to free you." He nodded at Lucas to take over because he wasn't doing so great relating to the stinky, cowering creature.

"It's true," Lucas said. "She beat the crap out of Gianna though. You should have seen it. Come on, I know there's soap here and Gianna had to bathe. By the way, what's your real name?"

It looked like he was either too scared to say it, or he couldn't remember. Lucas smiled and touched his arm. Yeah, the guy stank to high heaven, but it wasn't his fault. He deserved human contact. "K-Kyle," he stammered.

"Let's get you to a shower, Kyle."

Kyle moved, but there was a dreamy look on his face, like he didn't really believe anything that was happening.

"After you shower, you can wear clean clothes and you're gonna eat like a king tonight. What kind of food do you want?"

"Umm…hot?"

Lucas chuckled. "Hot _what_?"

"Hot anything. But not beans. Can I have bread?"

"Oh yeah, bread. How about chicken. You like chicken?"

"Chicken?" He said it with awe, the way most people said 'lobster' or 'caviar'.

"If they've got it on Juno." Lucas was looking forward to eating something tastier than what he'd been getting too. If there was decent food available, he knew they'd have it.

They found the bathroom that Gianna used. There was plenty of soap and shampoo for Kyle to use, so Lucas shoved him in and shut the hatch. He yelled through the closed door: "Throw your clothes away and scrub everything else. I'll find you something to wear."

Lucas didn't know what he would find, but Kyle was better off wrapped in a sheet than putting his stinky, tattered clothes back on. Lucas found a yellow terrycloth bathrobe that looked clean. Ordinarily, he wouldn't suggest a self-respecting guy wear such a thing in public, but with guys running around in loincloths and leather Speedos and even stark naked, a bathrobe wouldn't be so bad. Surely they had something back on Katie's submarine he could wear.

Kyle came out clean and didn't balk at the bathrobe. They hurried back to the docking collar and found Rita holding some official-looking papers. "I got 'em," she said.

Shan had stopped in the narrow hallway, looking in on the tiny holding cell where Lucas had been chained to the wall and threatened with death if he didn't sign his rights over. "Uh, Lucas, I found _your_ clothes."

Lucas had purposely refrained from looking in those horrid little rooms. He shook his head. "I don't even want to see them." It wasn't like it was his _seaQuest_ science department uniform or anything important, just some grubbies he'd worn to the beach and then fouled in the worst way. He was surprised Gianna didn't burn them.

Ford peeked into the room and he and Will exchanged grave looks and whispered comments. "Let's get out of here," the commander said.

Lucas and Kyle walked behind Rita with Ford and Shan on either side. Lucas whispered to Kyle, "You know they're guarding _us_."

"But there's nowhere to run," Kyle said.

Lucas laughed. "They're not guarding us against running away; they're guarding against someone _stealing_ us."

"S-stealing?" The idea was clearly foreign to him. How many times had Gianna told him he was worthless?

"Hey, don't sweat it. Lady Katerina is like the most famous person on the whole colony right now. No one would dare touch us."

"Yeah," Shan said in a sarcastic tone, "never mind the fact you're guarded by two semi-finalists from the Gladiator Games. We're just window dressing. Commander, they don't need us. They're just going to name-drop Hitchcock if anything happens. We may as well pack it in."

"I'm not guarding," Ford said. "I just _happen_ to be walking next to Lucas here."

Lucas didn't care what they called it. He was just glad to be with his friends again. They arrived at Docking Bay Roma. Rita knocked on the hatch. An outside camera scanned them and then the hatch opened. "I brought the papers for that male you requested, Lady Katerina," Rita said. She extended her hand with the ownership documents. It wasn't lost on Lucas how she said "male" instead of "slave" or "Shit Boy".

"Lady Rita, will you please come in?" Katie said even as she accepted the papers.

Rita stepped in, looking around at all the opulence with her mouth agape. Tim hadn't been kidding. _Splendor of the Sea_ was like something out of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous', which was fitting, since Katie was indeed rich and sort of famous. Lucas was having a hard time keeping his own jaw off the floor. "Wow, Katie, this is awesome."

"Thanks, Lucas. Piccolo said you could have his bed in the stateroom. He's going to crash on one of the couches."

"Cool," he said absently. Then he caught himself and remembered his manners. He indicated his friend. "Katie, this is Kyle. He's really shy."

"And you wouldn't _believe_ the conditions we found him living in," Ford added with disgust in his voice and a shiver as he talked.

Katie stepped forward and spoke gently. "Hello, Kyle." She offered her hand.

Kyle looked at her for a moment, then he took her hand and kissed it. "What do you want me to call you, Mistress?"

"Just Katie is fine, Kyle. Do you want to stay on Juno or leave with us?"

He looked bewildered.

Lucas leaned over and whispered, "If you leave here, you'll be free, right Katie?"

"Oh, absolutely. Here," she handed his papers to him, so he could hold them. "Don't rip them up until we've been cleared to depart. The sheriff wants to question some of us, but as soon as we get out of Juno's sovereignty zone, you're a free man."

He stood there, staring, with big tears rolling down his cheek. "Why did you do this for me?"

Katie shook her head. "Don't thank me. It was Lucas's idea."

"I told you I'd come back for you," Lucas said. "Hey, do we have any extra clothes?"

"I think Dr. Westphalen brought something for you, Lucas, but Kyle can go through the big costume stash."

Tony walked by just then. "Commander Hitchcock said I could keep _my_ costume. Whaddya think?" The way he was strutting around, he obviously liked what he had on.

Lucas chuckled. "I think it's definitely _you_, Tony."

Ford rolled his eyes. "One can never have too many pairs of flashy gold bicycle pants."

"Well, after getting blood on them, I don't think I can take them back, so you're welcome to keep yours too."

He raised his hands in surrender. "I'll pass."

Will showed them the big trunk full of costumes. Kyle started going through the clothes. Lucas sat on one of the plush lounge chairs to watch and just drink in the scenery: the cool submarine, his friends' happy faces, everyone relaxed and casual.

Katie addressed their guest. "Lady Rita, I wanted to thank you personally. Lucas said you were kind to him in the mines, and I'm pretty sure if it hadn't been for you, I'd be dead."

"Huh? I didn't do that much."

"You did more than you know. Lieutenant O'Neill is the one who saw Gianna putting the drug on her hands. He got word to me. But he wouldn't have been in a position to see that without your help."

"Lieutenant…?"

Lucas coughed. "Puppy."

"Oh, Tim. He was no trouble at all."

"I have a reward for you, but it comes with some responsibility."

"I didn't expect a reward. I'm just glad this all worked out for Lucas."

"Okay, but would you still consider my proposition? I have four Gladiators who need good homes: Butch, Sundance, Tom, and Rocky. They don't want to leave Juno and none of us want to stay. They're all willing to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, but if you'd look around and arrange for them to find good women who will treat them well, then I'll sign them all over to you. You can give them away or sell them, just make sure they get good homes, okay?"

"F-four Gladiators? Me?"

"You could even keep a couple for yourself, if you want."

Her mouth stood open. "Lady Katerina, I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll help them."

"Yes. Absolutely. Thank you."

Wendy appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and handed Katie some papers. Katie signed off on Sundance. The other three papers had been signed by a Madam Lynx Smith. Katie gave the papers to Rita. "All yours. Treat them well."

"I will," Rita promised. Lucas felt sure she would too.

Katie called out, "Butch, Sundance, Tom, and Rocky, front and center." Lucas panicked a little to hear her military voice.

But the Gladiators didn't disappoint her. They dashed in from all over the sub and lined up in front of her as well as any enlisted guys he'd ever seen.

She smiled. "Any of you ever want to join the navy, say the word and I'll get you in." She looked them over. They didn't know how to stand at attention like military guys, but they were quiet and respectful and Lucas knew that counted a lot with her. "Lady Rita here has agreed to take custody of you all until you find suitable homes. If anyone has a problem with her or this arrangement, now is the time to object."

They all shook their heads.

"Don't you dare give her any gruff. She works in the lithium mines and I'm sure she could get any one of you a spot on the work crew at a second's notice. Thank you all for being so flexible."

"Lady Katerina, you rock," Butch said.

The other guys joined in, nodding and saying, "Yeah." One by one, they kissed her hand and said goodbye. Butch, Tom, and Rocky also said goodbye to Wendy. Then each one of them found the opponent they'd lost to in the ring and shook hands: Sundance with Ford, Butch with Brody, and Tom and Rocky with Will. From what Lucas could see, there were no hard feelings for having been beat. They all left with Rita.

"Okay," Katie said once they were gone, "we've got three more people than we came with: Lucas, Kyle, and Matthew. And most of the rest of you have been in serious fights lately. Anyone who doesn't need a bed, please take a couch or one of the loungers so the injured can have the beds."

"I got a couch," Tony said first.

"A couch is fine with me," Kyle said. He probably hadn't slept on anything but the floor of Gianna's submarine for years.

Lucas felt guilty taking a bed away from anyone with an injury, plus he kinda wanted to stay with Kyle. "I'll sleep out here on a couch too."

"Thanks, guys. Everyone who was in the ring, expect to be examined by one of the doctors. They've got a lot of patients, but no one is exempt, including me."

"When can we get out of here?" Brody asked.

"The sheriff wants to question me before they'll clear us. Wendy, what can I tell her?"

"You tell the truth. I warned you about Gianna cheating. Just don't say where I got my information. You can tell her I'm an empath. That's common knowledge. She'll probably assume I read Gianna's mind. I'd rather let her think I'd do that than let the captain's secret weapon become less secret."

Lucas had a feeling that Wendy might lie to keep Tim's abilities a secret, but if anyone could lie effectively, it was an empath. It wasn't like they were hiding any evidence or protecting anyone who was guilty.

"What's for dinner? I'm starved," Lucas announced.

For some reason, everyone thought this was the height of hilarity and broke into gales of laughter. Lucas joined in because their laughter was infectious, not because he had any idea what was so darned funny.

Ben bit back his laughter enough to say, "Pizza. Why don't you order it?" which only made everyone laugh harder. At least Lucas understood this joke. He'd been in the mines when the whole thing happened, but Tim had filled him in.

Lucas had the perfect comeback for this. He'd thought of it while brooding about men getting hands chopped off for such a silly thing as touching a vid-link. "I heard it costs an arm and a leg, but I have a coupon for half price."


	24. Chapter 63 Heading Home

**Chapter 63**

Katie could have gone to the sheriff station to be questioned, but she didn't like the idea of leaving _Splendor_. Everyone was safely aboard and many were nursing wounds, including her. But there was a good chance that the sheriff-judge would want to talk to Wendy next, and possibly, if Wendy felt it prudent and necessary to reveal the truth, then she'd probably want to talk to O'Neill too. Besides, if they conducted their interviews on _Splendor_, they'd be ready to leave the moment the sheriff gave them clearance.

When the sheriff arrived, she asked Wendy to join the interrogation straightaway because she had some medical questions. Gianna was claiming that she didn't intend to kill anyone. She said she only wanted to knock Katie out long enough to be declared the winner.

Wendy looked over a printed analysis of the toxin. She explained it in layman's terms as best she could. "Her so-called 'knockout drug' was cyanide-based with a piggyback atomizing agent that delivered it as a gas. Unlike chloroform, which would have required much more prolonged contact inhaling it, cyanide had no medicinal purpose. It's classified along with nerve agents as an illegal weapon almost everywhere in the world."

The sheriff frowned and shook her head gravely. Katie suspected that an underwater colony would be particularly strict about airborne toxins, since the dome was a closed system. "Gianna already squealed on the companion who acquired and applied the drug to her hands in an attempt to look cooperative. But how did _you_ know?" The sheriff looked pointedly at Katie.

Wendy headed her off. "I'm empathic. I discovered Gianna's intent during the time-out and I told her immediately."

"Empathic?" The sheriff looked alarmed. "You mean you read minds?"

"No. I have the ability to read _emotions_. But an environment like the arena is very taxing on my ability to block everything. If you were watching Rocky and Tiger's match, you know that Katerina had to watch for me because the hostility was just too much."

"Yes, I remember that you looked the other way. I thought you just didn't want to see Tiger get mangled. What is he, a black belt?"

"I never asked."

"Okay, so you caught wind of Gianna's plan through psychic powers and you told Katerina?"

"Yes."

Katie nodded assent. This wasn't a lie. Wendy did find out through psychic senses, just not the ones they'd discussed. Tim could have told them who put the poison on her hands, but since Gianna had already done that, there was no need for him to be involved.

"Lady Katerina, would you please respond verbally, for the record?" No doubt she had been recording everything since they sat down at the table in the galley.

"Yes, that's what happened. Lynx told me just before the gong."

"Why didn't you try to report it?"

"I did! I told the referee. It's a little hard for her to confirm that now and everyone else was screaming so loud, no one would have heard it but us."

"Gianna says you threatened to kill her."

Katie harrumphed. "No. I threatened to give her a couple of black eyes and put her in the hospital. But that was just hype."

"_Would_ you have killed her if you had the chance?"

She paused to consider this. "I don't think so. All I wanted was Lucas. If she would have sold him when we got here, all of this could have been avoided."

"What is it about him? I mean, for someone like Rocky, I could understand. But he's just a kid. Why did she go to such lengths?"

Katie shook her head. "I have no idea what her motivation was. I tried to make her rich. I tried to play by her rules. She didn't even seem to have firm plans for him. One minute she was going to put him up for auction, the next minute she was keeping him herself. I think she was just trying to get a rise out of me."

"She does seem to hold a grudge."

Katie wasn't about to let that slide. "She came to _my_ country, kidnapped _my_ personal houseguest by force, coerced him to sign away all his rights, abused him when he'd done nothing to deserve it, and then she refused every polite and lucrative offer I made to remedy the situation. And _she's_ holding a grudge?"

The sheriff chuckled. "She has some sort of weird persecution complex, doesn't she?"

"Don't tell me that she's going to plead mental instability." Wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake of irony? Punish men for fun, but women get away with murder.

Wendy cleared her throat. "I'm a psychologist. I can testify that she was perfectly sane and knew what she was doing. Maybe she didn't intend to kill the referee, but she didn't care one way or the other if she killed Katie—uh, Katerina."

The sheriff waved her off. "Thank you, Doctor, but it's not necessary. She knew the drug was lethal. I was _there_, remember? I heard Katerina offer her a free punch if she just touched her own face. If she really thought it was so innocuous, she'd have taken that challenge and just held her breath. She _knew_."

Katie felt satisfaction surge within. The sheriff had been hard on Ben, but she was fair and she was smart. "So is there going to be a trial? Do we have to come back to testify?"

"We don't waste time with juries here. I've listened to her side and I've questioned all the witnesses. If she doesn't like my decision, she can appeal to the governor, but Ms. Nelson has taken way too much flak from the families of men Gianna has _acquired _over the years. She'd have to be monumentally stupid to think she'd get a better outcome that way."

"When will you have a decision?" Wendy asked.

"I've made it. She's guilty of second degree murder as well as attempted first degree."

Katie and Wendy both exhaled sighs of relief. "And the sentence?" Katie asked.

"Life in the lithium mines without chance of parole."

Katie was doubly glad she hadn't brought Tim into this. He'd been sitting with Rita when he saw the poisoning and Rita was going to be working at the mine where Gianna was to be incarcerated. The way Gianna held illogical grudges, there was no telling how much trouble that could have meant for Rita. "Is there anything else you need from us?"

"Not a thing. How is Bootlicker doing?"

Katie smirked. "He'll live."

"We do appreciate the suspended sentence though," Wendy added. Katie nodded agreement.

"Tell me, do you really own _any_ of the guys you brought?" She looked back and forth between Wendy and Katie.

Wendy shook her head. "Not a single one."

"Bootlicker is my ex-husband," Katie said. "But we're reconciling."

"Well, you sure had us all fooled." Katie opened her mouth to counter the accusation but the sheriff put up a halting hand. "I know you didn't lie. And I'm not accusing you of breaking any laws. But you fit in so well here. I was just wishing there was more to it, so there was hope you'd visit again."

"If that law is ever changed, I'd consider it," Katie said, but mostly to be polite. She really had no intention of coming back.

"After that speech you gave, it just might happen." The sheriff stood. "Thank you both for your time. If I need to contact you, how would I do that?"

"Call _seaQuest_ and ask for Dr. Smith," Wendy said.

"I'll either be on _seaQuest_ or at Bridger Hitchcock SeaDesigns in Honolulu," Katie said. "And I'm sorry I haven't asked before, but what is _your_ name?"

"Belinda Kowalski."

"And which honorific do you prefer?" Katie had called her 'your honor' once she found out she was a judge, but it was only a guess that it was the proper address.

"The men usually call me Sheriff Kowalski. The women, Lady Belinda."

Katie stood and offered her hand. "Juno Colony is lucky to have such a good sheriff and judge."

She smiled as she shook Katie's hand. "And the UEO Navy is lucky to have such a great fighter and loyal friend."

Wendy also stood, but didn't offer her hand. Katie had noticed she did that a lot. It probably had something to do with her empathy. She was lucky she was a woman and could get away with it so often.

"And such a good doctor, too," Belinda said to Wendy.

Wendy smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"I'll tell the Docking Mistress you're free to leave. Smooth sailing."

They saw her out and locked the hatch after her. A half-dozen guys sat in the lounge area, silently waiting. Everyone but Tony, Matthew, and Kyle had changed into 'normal' civilian clothes. Katie gave them the thumb's up. "She says we're free to go." Cheers and applause rose to an almost deafening level. She found Lucas in the crowd. "Gianna was sentenced to life in the lithium mines. No parole."

"That fast? No trial?"

Katie shrugged. "Justice moves fast here. Ben was arrested, sentenced, caned, and sent home within ninety minutes. And _that_ would have been faster if we hadn't had to wait for Dr. Westphalen."

Kristin emerged from one of the staterooms. The door had been open, so she no doubt heard the news. "Gianna is lucky the judge didn't ask me to cane _her_." Her voice was dark and serious.

"Would you have done it?" Lucas asked.

She shook her head and cracked a small smile. "No. I don't think I have enough self-control to keep myself from doing something I'd regret."

Katie heard several of the guys in the galley. She did a quick check to be sure Wendy wasn't with them. The woman was a good doctor and an excellent psychologist, but they were getting underway now and couldn't afford to ruin their air supply with burning food. Besides, it was Lucas's first real meal and it should be edible. With twelve people on board, surely there had to be one or two who could cook. Katie headed to the navigation compartment and donned a headset. "Juno Docking, this is _Splendor of the Sea_. We're sealed tight. Requesting release of the docking clamps."

"Roger, _Splendor_. Docking clamps releasing. Hope you enjoyed your stay. Please come again."

Katie had to wonder if there was a script somewhere this operator followed. Was she the only person on this colony who hadn't been watching her in the arena? Enjoyed the stay. What a joke. Tim poked his head in. "Do you need help, Commander?"

She beckoned him in. "Don't _need_ it, but you're welcome. You can keep an eye on the proximity scope. Let me know when we're outside their sovereignty zone."

"Ten miles?"

"Try fifty."

He nodded. "Better safe than sorry. Aye, ma'am. Fifty miles."

"Oh, and put in a call to Captain Bridger as soon as we're outside of their jammer."

"Radio or telepathic?"

"Vid-link. I want him to be able to see Lucas."

"I think the jammer only works inside the dome." He flipped some switches and checked some controls. "We're clear now."

"Already? Hm. Give me a minute to check the mirror. I look like hell."

"Aye, ma'am. Uh, I mean, take all the time you need, ma'am." He looked like hell too with a purple, swollen nose and a bruise over one eye. But she could see his cheeks blushing under all the bruises and scratches. He thought he'd insulted her by agreeing she looked terrible.

"On second thought, just do it. We're all battle scarred and I'm not ashamed of a single one of us."

"Aye." Even though her communications system was nothing like _seaQuest_'s, Tim pressed buttons so fast she would have sworn he could do it in his sleep. He had a connection before she could have figured out which controls to use. She'd be remedying her lack of acquaintance with this sub very soon. She liked to know her vessels intimately and she was definitely keeping the _Splendor_. Kristin had won enough money to reimburse her for everything else, plus pad the account for Project Calypso, so why not? She'd have to let Ben drive it home to Hawaii while she flew _Gazelle One_ out of Cape Town. But assuming he could sit in the driver's seat, he could handle it. She could probably coax Helga into keeping him company and he could regale her with tales of their mission.

"Pipe it into the lounge, would you, Lieutenant?" She stood to take the call in the larger room where everyone could be in on it.

"Aye, ma'am."

Miguel's face appeared on the large screen on the wall and it was obvious he noticed how bad she looked, but he didn't say anything.

"Is the captain available, Mr. Ortiz?" Katie asked.

"I just sent someone to get him out of bed, Commander. Anything I can do for you in the meanwhile?"

Kristin muttered, "_Sleeping_ at a time like this!"

Katie smiled. "You can say hello to someone who's been off the grid for a while. Lucas?"

He stood up next to her and waved. "Hey, Miguel, you missed all the fun."

The sensor chief grinned. "I wanted to go, but the cap needed me here to track crocodiles."

"How's that going?"

Miguel rolled his eyes. "Haven't seen hide nor scale in two weeks. I'm thinking I should apply to watch hulls rust to see more action."

"You want action, I can always put you on KP, Chief," Bridger's voice said as he moved into visual range from behind Ortiz. Watching the captain's face as he caught sight of Lucas was worth the whole trip, bruises and all. Recognition and joy mingled briefly, then he hid it behind his official military visage. "Mr. Wolenczak, you missed at least three science section meetings. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Katie turned ever so slightly to look at Lucas. The teen put on a face so serious that Katie would have bought it as genuine. "Sorry, sir. I was a little tied up."

Silence descended on both sides of the vid-link. Lucas and Bridger conducted the most epic game of stare-down she'd ever seen. No one on _seaQuest_ or _Splendor_ breathed.

Finally, Bridger broke the standoff with a warm smile. "I guess you're excused then." The tension broken, everyone on _Splendor_ laughed while the _seaQuest_ crew exhaled. Katie had forgotten that none of those on the bridge except the captain and Ortiz knew where Lucas had been. They probably thought he'd been in Pearl all this time.

"We can meet you at the rendezvous point in two hours, Commander," Bridger said.

"If it's all the same to you, sir, may I suggest you stay on course and let us come to you?" She wanted the navy guys to have time to heal a little before going back to work. Fewer bruises might possibly keep the questions and rumors at bay as well.

Bridger nodded to Ortiz, who, without any verbal command, routed a visual to another screen, showing their relative positions, courses and speeds. Bridger glanced at it for less than two seconds and then looked back at Katie. "Unless you've been souping up your LS909 on company time, you'll never catch up unless we stop or alter course." That knowing gleam entered his eyes. "So how wide of a holding pattern would you like us to maintain?"

Katie looked over at Kristin. Both doctors had collaborated and shared notes about all the crew, so they both knew about everyone's injuries, but Kristin was a little more suited to weigh the injuries against the homesickness, especially Lucas's. She went into full CMO mode and answered the question directly to the screen. "We need at least twenty-four hours, Captain."

"Captain?" Wendy cut in. "Have you been informed of our two guests?"

"Matthew and Kyle? Yes, Special Agent Watkins filled me in."

_Special Agent Watkins? Who the heck…?_ Wendy nodded without any sign she didn't understand. Then it dawned on Katie. That must be the code name they gave to Mary.

"I assume Lady Helga will be giving up her guest quarters when you arrive, so Matthew can have them. He's the larger man, right?"

"Yes. Kyle is much smaller and right around Lucas's age."

"Cap," Tony said, "if you wanna put him in with Lucas, I can crash on Seaman Young's old bunk for a while."

Katie didn't recognize the name, nor did she understand why anyone would have an "old bunk" that wasn't being used unless he was very recently dead, transferred, or stuck in Medbay.

Bridger looked surprised at the offer. "That's very generous, Piccolo, but I think we have another guest room somewhere on this boat."

"Captain," Wendy said in his defense, "Piccolo's idea might be prudent for a night or two. Kyle has been seriously abused and Lucas is the only one he trusts right now."

"All right, Doctor. Mr. Piccolo, I'm putting _you_ in the guest room instead of the bunk you mentioned." He wagged his index at the petty officer. "Don't make me regret giving you private quarters."

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

"It's temporary, Tony," Wendy said. "Kyle just needs a little time to adjust."

Tony raised his hands. "Hey, I got private quarters. Let him take all the time he wants."

While Katie thought guest quarters were a bit too much to give a petty officer, Tony had taken the couch for the trip home and he _had_ volunteered to take something obviously inferior before anyone even suggested Kyle needed the support. Heck, he'd volunteered for this crazy mission as the only non-officer they'd taken. And Bridger had been right about him understanding Juno women better than everyone else.

"Commander," Tim's voice came from the navigation compartment, "we're coming up on that sovereignty boundary you asked to be notified of."

She called over her shoulder. "Thank you, Lieutenant." Then she turned back to the vid-link screen. "Captain, we have some papers that need shredding."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Please. We'll keep in touch. _SeaQuest_ out." His face irised out and the UEO trident displayed briefly before her virtual aquarium screensaver took over.

Each of the three women had a stack of papers to distribute. Katie had Jonathan's and Ben's, but also Lucas's and Kyle's. Kristin handed out documents to Piccolo, O'Neill, and Matthew. Wendy issued Shan's and Brody's. While burning their ownership documents might have felt more cathartic, it wasn't wise to start fires on a submarine. Ben hauled a paper shredder into the center of the room and hit the side of the catch-bin. "All ready. Who's first?"

Jonathan stepped eagerly to the machine and ran his documents through. Everyone cheered. Shan, Matthew, and Brody took the next three turns, followed by O'Neill and Piccolo. Lucas handed his papers back to Katie. "You earned these. You do it."

Katie smiled and slipped them into the buzzing machine. Great whoops and cheers went up when his papers were destroyed. Kyle emulated Lucas and handed his papers to Katie too, but he turned his head while she performed the 'ceremony'. He wasn't taking this in the same spirit as the others. He looked depressed, like maybe the act suggested _he_ was garbage to be shredded up and discarded. Wendy put her arm around him and whispered in his ear. He nodded and brightened a little. Ben removed the shredding blades and stirred up the confetti left in the catch bin. Katie hadn't seen him shred his papers, but maybe she missed it when she was watching Kyle.

Ben opened both his hands in a welcoming gesture to the room. "Everyone come take a handful of the shreds. Take it with you and destroy it."

"I'm burning mine back on _seaQuest_," Brody announced.

"I'm flushing mine down the head," Piccolo said.

Everyone laughed at this. "You _would_," Jonathan said.

"What are you doing with your handful of shreds?" Shan asked Ford.

"I think I'll shoot them out of a torpedo tube."

"Nice." Several of the guys nodded approval.

"May I?" Kristin asked.

"Sure," they all told her.

The doctor took several large handfuls, placed the confetti in a plastic bag and sealed it up.

"What are you going to do with it?" O'Neill asked.

"I have a lab rat back on _seaQuest_ that always needs nesting material. This should do very nicely."

"It's rat litter!" someone exclaimed to more laughter.

Pretty soon, everyone was chatting excitedly, reliving embarrassing moments, and talking about their Juno adventures. Ben, Will, Jonathan, and Kristin put the finishing touches on a delicious dinner and they all feasted heartily on some really good cooking. Katie couldn't believe how much food Kyle was able to put into that skinny body of his. Gianna probably hadn't fed him adequately for weeks. His mood lifted considerably after eating. Poor kid. They shouldn't have made him wait so long to eat, underfed and malnourished as he was.

After dinner, a few of the guys sat around and talked, but Katie was tired and sore, so she took her leave and headed to the stateroom. Ben gave her another foot massage, but she forced herself to stay awake this time. "I missed when you shredded your papers," she said apologetically.

"You didn't miss it. I wanted to keep mine."

"Keep them?" she gasped.

"Like a souvenir," he explained. "Okay, so this trip was no vacation, but it had its moments. I got to spend time with you and you got a free pass to yell at me and smack me with a crop as much as you felt like. What more could you want?"

"Well, no caning, to start with."

"Yeah, I could have lived without that, but it did win me a lot of sympathy." He flashed a charming smile. "And I got the best fighter on the colony to call me her boyfriend. I'd say, on the whole, it was a positive experience."

Beaten to a pulp and he thought her little declaration overshadowed that? She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in a sultry voice. "If you didn't shred your papers, that means I still own you."

"Uh huh."

"Your foot massage was wonderful. I think it deserves a reward."

"A reward?"

"Definitely." She drew him close, planted her lips on his, and turned out the light.

* * *

_**A/N: Well, that's the end of the weird tangent. Please join me back in the T-rated section for "Not on my Watch" as it continues from here. Thanks to everyone for your support.**_


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